Little Lights of Hope
by Aubrie1234
Summary: Even monsters have hearts. Allan may have been a murder, but when it came to certain things, he was a softie. ESPECIALLY with his counterpart's kids. Though, it also made him an overprotective murderer who would stop at nothing to protect them, even from 2P!Belarus... Feat. 1P! & 2P! Nations, Little!States, and Little!D.C.
1. Chapter 1

Little Lights of Hope

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

Allan didn't like killing people, but to him, it helped blow off steam. He never enjoyed it and wished that Alfred would let him live in his world, at least for a while, but knew it would never happen. He wanted something different, something _happy_ in his life. But he knew that would also never happen, as nothing every really made him happy except annoying and teasing others, especially his family.

He carried his infamous bat over his shoulder as he walked home, the bat covered in layers of dried blood. The killings had been barely an hour ago, but no one really cared. In this world, it was either kill or be killed, and everyone except the Nations always feared for their lives. Many of them even feared their own countries, especially Oliver's, Luciano's, and Flavio's. Englishmen and Italians had moved to Belarus and Hungary to escape their personifications so they wouldn't be killed, but even there they weren't safe. No one was safe in this world.

Allan's house was out of the city, in the deserted country, and very small, compared to everyone else's. It was just one of two houses he had, though. Because he lived alone, it was built for one person. His other house, though, he had made when the States were still around. It was abandoned now, but he always made sure it was taken care of, in the hopeless hope that, someday, he would have States and a capital to fill it with.

It was a giant mansion, big enough to hold 50 of them, himself, his capital, and quite a few more. He had built it on the West Coast, near the beach, so the kids could play. The States, the 13 he had, were the lights of his life. But then Oliver had to show him the harsh realities of the world. Allan's heart always ached when he thought of his States and what Oliver had done, also making sure there would be no more personifications of the States, or even his capital. That was the only bad blood between them, and was a very dangerous topic with Oliver. Depending on how Allan would approach it, Oliver would either go instantly to his insane personality, cry and apologize, or scoff and say it was what he needed. And it always ended with Allan's tears in the end, though they weren't always silent.

Allan stopped shortly before his smaller house. It looked almost like a shack, but was perfect for how he lived. However, something didn't seem to feel right. Were some of the emotionless killers of the city inside, waiting to kill him so they could finally have a city at rest? No, they couldn't have; people were too scared of him. Could one of his family be waiting for him? No, they would never wait for him if he wasn't home; no one ever really visited him in the first place. Cautiously, he walked up to the door while tightly gripping his bat. Using one hand, he slowly opened the door, prepared for anything.

"Daddy?" came a chorus of young voices.

Well, almost anything. In surprise and shock, Allan dropped his bat, staring inside his house. Ranging from 10 to 1 were 51 kids, who were all over the place, crammed everywhere. At the sight of him and the bat, they all became scared.

"W-who are you?" one asked, "You're not Daddy." It was a boy of about 5 with white hair, ice blue eyes, fair skin, and heavy winter-like clothing: a furry brown leather jacket, thick blue sweater, dark green pants, and black lace-up boots; he sort of reminded Allan of a mixture of Alfred and Ivan. He, along with most of the rest, were too afraid to move. Briefly, as he glanced around, he wondered how the f***ing h**l they got into his house. Then he spotted the oldest among them.

He was a boy of about ten with light brown eyes, medium-length sandy hair that had twelve braids in it, fair skin, and sort-of fancy clothing: a tied-on Tricorn hat, blue waistcoat, red shirt, brown pants, and black dress shoes. He held himself like a leader and was one of the few who seemed to not be afraid of him. However, Allan knew _exactly_ who he was. Even if the colors and personality were different, he knew the boy was Delaware. It wasn't the same Delaware he had known, but the face was the same. Glancing around, he found the faces of the rest of the 13, but they were all different, though seemingly all the same age.

Connecticut was a boy with dark blue eyes, short dirty blond hair, slightly tanned skin, and sailor clothing: a modern white captain's hat, navy blue t-shirt, long white pants, white deck shoes, and a white and navy blue backwards neckerchief.

New Hampshire was a boy with short messy blond hair, red eyes, fair skin, and relaxed business clothing: unbuttoned gray business coat with no tie and wrinkles, white dress shirt, brown loafers, and gray pants.

New Jersey was a boy with short black hair, red eyes, olive skin, and relaxed clothing: light yellow flannel shirt with rolled-up sleeves, baggy blue jean shorts, and light brown hiking boots.

New York, just by appearance alone, looked like a much stricter New Hampshire and was always black, gray, and white. This version just was a reverse color of the New York Allan used to have. He had neat short white hair, black eyes, fair skin, and business clothing: white and black-striped tie, dark gray business suit with white dress shirt, and black dress shoes.

North Carolina was a girl with medium-length messy blond hair and a cowlick like Alfred's, yellow eyes, fair skin, and varied clothing: knee-length red skirt with brown leather belt, red and white sneakers, and a baby blue t-shirt.

Virginia was a girl with yellow eyes, medium-length blonde hair that slowly went orange as it reaches the tips, tanned skin, and Revolutionary-like clothing: dark red overcoat, blue dress shirt, white knee-length skirt with red and blue stars on rim, and navy shoes with white stripes.

Massachusetts was a boy with emerald green eyes (like that d*** Arthur's...), messy brown hair, fair skin, and colonial-like clothing: dark brown overcoat, white gloves, dark blue dress shirt (how fancy _is_ this kid?), dark red dress pants, and (he guessed) slip-on black sneakers with fake buckles.

Pennsylvania was a girl with red-purple eyes, long blonde hair with Alfred's cowlick and tips dyed red and blue, fair skin, and varied clothing: white tie top with blue stars (interesting choice of clothing for such a girl, especially being young...), red knee-length skirt with white stars on rim, and red and blue Wellingtons.

Georgia was a boy with light green eyes, light brown hair, fair skin, and farm clothing: white and blue checkered shirt, brown leather belt holding up faded green pants, and white and red worn sneakers.

Maryland was a girl with yellow-green eyes, short blonde hair with darker tips, fair skin, and skimpy clothes (what is it with Alfred letting his kids _wear_ this stuff?): white tank top with a blue star on front ending just above her belly, pinkish-red shorts, and yellow and black trainers.

South Carolina looked like her twin, North Carolina, so much that he just wondered _how_ they could still have differences. She had red eyes, hair like her twin's except without the cowlick, fair skin, and rebellious-type clothes: ripped blue jeans with a tan leather belt, red shirt with ragged rims (seriously, why is Alfred letting his kids wear this stuff? It also looked like the rims used to have white stars), and knee-high black sandals.

Rhode Island was a girl with mint-green eyes, short black hair in a bob cut, slightly tanned skin, and a sailor/schoolgirl outfit: white skirt with red torches on rim, white and light blue backwards neckerchief (kind of like Connecticut), buttoned yellow shirt, and dark orange flats.

All in all, he knew they were the leaders of the States by how they carried themselves, especially Delaware and Virginia. He also knew because of his 13 States, how they had acted as kids... Allan shook his head. No, these were not his kids. States, yes, but not his. They had to be Alfred's, but then how did they get here and get so young? Last time he checked (which would have gotten him killed if Alfred had known), the original 13 were 20-years-old, and the other States, depending on when they joined, were 1 to 5 years behind, with the exception of D.C. The capital was 10. In fact, he was sure the baby Virginia was carrying was D.C.

D.C., though only a baby, already had signs of what he used to look like. He was now a 1-year-old baby boy with Alfred's hair, ice blue eyes, fair skin, and varied clothing: miniature version of Alfred's jacket, white shirt with Alfred's national flag on it, dark red cargo pants (can a baby even _wear_ those?), gloves like Alfred's, and red, white, and blue sneakers with stars. Oh, how Allan wished the boy were older so he could ask him about being a capital. After what Oliver had done, he had never gotten to see his version of D.C. or the other 37 States.

"Again, who are you?" Virginia snapped, "And where are we?" Allan quickly thought out a plan. If he couldn't have his own States, then why not take care of Alfred's until he comes to get them? Allan would finally get to fill his first house and take care of children again after so long.

"I'm Allan." he said calmly, putting a placating smile on his face and holding up his hands to show he held no weapons, "I guess you could say I'm another Daddy."

"We don't have one! We only have one Daddy!" yelled one feisty little girl. She appeared to be 8 with long black hair in a ponytail, yellow eyes, tanned skin, and clothing made out of cotton: blue jean shorts with a black leather belt, light brown tank top, and white sneakers.

"Then he was wrong." Allan corrected, "I can be your Papa. Besides, the world outside is very dangerous, nothing like where you used to live. I'll have to take care of you all for now. Is that okay?" The States glanced at each other before having a close, football-like huddle. Every-so-often, they would look up at him curiously before going back to the huddle. Eventually, they separated and New Hampshire stepped forward.

"We're not sure what to make of you, Mr. Allan." he said, "We want to both love and hate you, run away and stay. But, since you seem to know more about this world and Daddy isn't here, we'll have to trust you for now."

"But don't think we won't give you a run for your money to earn our trust!" roared another girl. Unlike the first girl, she was about 6 with gray eyes, long messy black hair, tanned skin, and fancy clothes: knee-length black dress with white sequins and light blue platform shoes with red jewels in the wedges. D*** she was fancy, and probably had picky tastes.

"I know that." he continued, still in a calm voice, "I never expected you to. Here, where I live, it's either kill or be killed." Their horrified faces showed their displeasure at the statement, "But I'm not going to let that happen to you, and I know just the perfect place where we can stay safe. How does that sound?" The States huddled together again before Delaware spoke this time.

"Alright, seeing as we have no choice." he nodded to Allan, "I hope you can prove to us that you are trustworthy, Mr. Allan, and that you deserve the title of ' _Papa_ '." Allan could see how tough it was going to be to get the States on his side and call him that, especially the first 13. They had known Alfred the longest and probably distrusted Allan the most. He didn't blame them.

As Allan went back outside to grab his bat and figure out a way to move all the States and D.C. safely to his first house, a thought occurred to him. He knew Alfred had told the States and D.C. about him before, but it seemed as though they didn't recognize him. Besides being transformed into kids again, they had no idea who he was. Maybe there was a way he could play these cards to win, so he wouldn't have to give them up. Alfred would probably become heartbroken and fight for them with the ferocity of a furious wolverine, but Allan would just beat him into submission with his bat and kick Alfred's a** right back to his own dimension. If he couldn't have his own kids, then he would have Alfred's, one way or another...

* * *

Arthur, Anghel, and Lukas were hiding in Arthur's basement, the entire house in lockdown and barricaded. They feared for their lives, after they had all tried different forms of magic at the same time on the same day. When that happened, somehow, their magic tended to mix together. Arthur had been working on a dimensional teleportation spell, Lukas had been working on a youth potion, and Anghel had been working on a memory curse. Shortly after they had found out that they had used magic together, Alfred had called, worried about his States and capital. He hadn't seen them in a while and wondered in the original 13 had (once again) gone over to torture Arthur while dragging along the other 37 and D.C. It was at this point the three nations realized they were mincemeat and had fortified the entire house. Arthur himself knew how fierce, furious, crazy, and overprotective Alfred became when something happened to his States and capital, especially during wars, like the Revolution and 1812. If they thought Canada was mad when he played hockey, Alfred was worse. Much, much, much, _very oh so_ _much_ worse.

"Of all the personifications we could affect, it had to be all 50 of Alfred's States and his capital!" Anghel whimpered.

"How long until you think he realizes what happened and goes after us?" Lukas asked Arthur.

"Soon, if not already. Even if he acts dumb, he's quite smart." Suddenly, Arthur's, Lukas', and Anghel's cell phones began to ring.

" _Angleterre_ , I suggest you start hiding!" Francis cried when Arthur answered, " _Amérique_ has gone mad and is after you!"

"Lukas, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Matthias roared when Lukas answered, "I don't think even _Ivan_ or a _whole army_ could stop Alfred when he's this mad! How'd you get him so mad, anyway?!"

"Big brother, run and hide! Alfred is out to kill you!" Serghei warned when Anghel answered. However, all three were suddenly cut off as there was a big boom from upstairs. The three magicians looked at each other in fear.

"We're _dead_." they said in unison as there were more booms, shaking both house and basement. Arthur, in preparation to Alfred's arrival, had taken the precaution of scattering landmines around his house, along with motion-sensing machine guns. It was a bit much, yes, but he hoped it would be able to stop Alfred. There was another call to Arthur's phone, where he put it on speaker.

"Arthur, Al's gotten past your outdoor landmines and is ripping off the front doors!" Matthew yelled in fear, "He's gone completely nuts!" Arthur didn't have the time to criticize Matthew for being a hypocrite; he, Lukas, and Anghel were too busy shivering in fear.

"Ve! I-I've never seen him t-this angry before, not even w-with Ludwig and Kiku!" Feliciano stuttered.

" _Mein Gott_ , he's gotten past the indoor machine guns!" Gilbert shouted. The Magic Trio's impending doom was getting closer.

"No, he's completely destroyed them, aru!" Yao corrected fearfully.

"He's ripping apart the barbed wire with his bare hands!" Tino squeaked.

"He doesn't even care that he's stepping on landmines!" Feliks exclaimed just as more booms sounded upstairs, closer than the last. Yes, there were machine guns, barbed wire, landmines, and many other weapons inside the house as well. Did I not say it was barricaded, both inside _and_ out?

"There's the tear gas! _Tal vez ahora no se detendrá_!" Antonio said.

" _Buon Dio_ , that b******'s not stopping!" Lovino roared.

"What is he, invincible?!" Peter cried.

" _Han slog bara ner en vägg_!" If _Berwald_ sounded worried _and_ lapsed into Swedish, they were worse than dead.

" _ER FÜR DIE TREPPEN TARIF_!" Ludwig's warning made the three back away from the door in panic. It was bolted closed by a wooden bar, several locks, and tons of furniture put in front of it. All the weight together, keeping the door closed, must have weighed close to an elephant _at least_.

" _Er an der Tür ist, ist er an der Tür_ / _Ő az ajtó, ő az ajtó_!" Roderich's and Elizabeta's screams came just in time. Everything blasted away from the door, even the door itself, leaving the basement open to the demon monster of a Nation standing there.

Alfred was covered in a completely black aura, a _lot_ worse than Ivan's could ever be, which made them quake in fear even with the great distance they put between themselves and the door. His face was twisted into a murderous snarl, his teeth bared as his eyes blazed with H**lfire. He had looked like he had gone through H**l itself and back and could have even made the Devil plead for mercy with what a glare he was giving them. If people glared with knives, Nations glared with axes and swords. And it didn't look like it was possible he was going to be talked out of anything, even murder and torture.

" _ **Where. Are. They?**_ " he said the words slowly, pronouncing each one as if he had picked it carefully, " _ **Where are they, you three f***ing d*** b******s?**_ " Arthur gulped, as did the rest of the trio.

"A-A-Alfred, we c-can't quite answer t-that right now."

" _ **Why. Not?**_ "

"W-w-we h-have no idea w-where they are!" Anghel shouted then hid behind the other two. Usually, he wouldn't be so wimpy, but this was DEMON AMERICA they were facing. And with that statement, time seemed to stop. Alfred froze as he registered the statement. But then everything went from the frying pan and into the fire.

" _ **WHERE ARE THEY?!**_ " Alfred screamed, face contorting even more in rage as he walked closer instead of stomping, which seemed to make it scarier, " _ **WHERE ARE MY KIDS?!**_ " Arthur, Lukas, and Anghel scrambled backwards only a few feet before they hit the wall.

"A-A-Alfred, give us t-time!" Lukas pleaded, "W-we'll find them!" Alfred stopped right before them, barely inches away.

" _ **Alright, but let me give you a little**_ **demonstration** _ **for if this happens again.**_ " That was when the Magic Trio got the worst beating of their lives.

* * *

 _ **I know I'm doing so many new stories, but I can't help it! SO SUE ME! Anyway, In my headcanon, both 1P! and 2P! America are**_ **very** ** _extremely protective fathers of the States and D.C., even though Allan lost his to Oliver shortly after the Revolution. And THAT is why America is the worst nation to get angry._** **DO NOT** ** _MESS WITH THEIR KIDS. Also, here are the translations:_**

 **Mein Gott – My God (German)**

 **Tal vez ahora no se detendrá – Maybe now he will stop (Spanish)**

 **Buon Dio – Good God (Italian)**

 **Han slog bara ner en vägg – He just struck down a wall (Swedish)**

 **ER FÜR DIE TREPPEN TARIF – HE'S HEADING FOR THE STAIRS (German)**

 **Er an der Tür ist, ist er an der Tür/Ő az ajtó, ő az ajtó – HE'S AT THE DOOR, HE'S AT THE DOOR (German/Hungarian)**

 ** _Also, I hope you like my interpretations of the States and D.C. They're wearing clothes that they usually would at their normal ages, which I have posted in my_** **Laws, Laws, Laws** ** _story. I'm also planning of putting the descriptions of the States and D.C. on my profile in alphabetical order. If you want to have a look, you'll have to go under my Dinosaur King dinosaur cards and before my story ideas to find them._**

 _ **One more thing, too: Anghel is Romania and Serghei is Moldova (got their names from a site, called Behind the Names that lists all kinds of names from different countries). Those are the names I've picked out for their 1P!s. I hope you like them, because I'm not changing them. And if anyone seems OOC, I know. I'm trying to put them in character the best that I can, so don't judge me! And Wellingtons, trainers, and flats are types of shoes, if you want to know or look them up.**_

 **Anyway** ** _, read, review, and I'll see you later!_**


	2. Chapter 2

Little Lights of Hope

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

After retrieving his bat, Allan checked his car to see how many it would hold. Usually, he walked to town, but he did have a car for when he needed to get to meetings and pester Ollie. Unfortunately, it was a 1967 Sting Ray Chevrolet Corvette convertible and didn't have the gas-mileage or the room for taking 51 kids to the mansion. He wanted to bring them all in one go, and his car wasn't going to cut it.

"D*** it." he cursed. What he needed was a tractor trailer with a trailer long and big enough to house 51 kids comfortably for the entire ride. Wait... Allan grinned as he brought out his phone, dialing a number.

"Hey, Storen & Louis? It's me, Allan Jones. I've got an interesting proposition for you..."

* * *

In exchange for promising not to terrorize the country for at least a week, the furniture giant and a trucking company gave him everything he wanted: the truck, trailer, and some furniture to be put inside the trailer to make it comfortable. Right now, they were setting it up as the States and D.C. watched from inside, with Allan keeping an eye on them. All were watching except a few.

New York had somehow stumbled across his work room and was now working on his most recent papers. Though he was glad the lad was having fun (it seemed like it, even with NY's emotionless face) and work was being accomplished, Allan just wished the boy could be more relaxed (sort of like his NY once was).

Of course, some of the more responsible States (Delaware and Virginia) were trying to keep everyone in line. However, there were some troublemakers in the bunch: Namely two boys of 9. One had wheat-colored hair, brown eyes, slightly tanned skin, and varied clothing: black jockey jersey with a bright purple V on the front, neck, and cuffs, a white t-shirt, faded blue jeans with a black leather belt, and dark brown cowboy boots. He was whispering excitedly to the other boy beside him, making some sort of bet.

The other boy had wild red hair, dark green, almost black eyes, fair skin dotted with freckles (sort of like Oliver's), and country/hunting clothing: camo tank top with a blue circle on front (three stars were in the circle), tan cowboy boots, and baggy, somewhat dirty jeans with a black leather belt. Hanging from his right shoulder was a rifle and on his left was a guitar (briefly Allan wondered how the boy could lug that around all the time, especially since it would probably make a lot of noise). In the boy's hand was a revolver (where the h**l did he get that?), and he seemed to be aiming at the feet of the delivery men outside. Allan suspected that the boy with the wheat hair was making a bet with the rifle-wielding one about seeing how good his aim was, like making the men dance. The 2P hoped he could watch, since _technically_ he wasn't the one attacking the men, it was the kids, and they _technically_ weren't his. Oh, loopholes, how he loved them...

Finally, Allan looked to the last kid not watching the delivery men. The boy looked to be about 7 and was sitting against the coffee table, staring off into space. His eyes and hair were the color of blood, he had fair skin, and aviator clothing: a brown bomber jacket (similar to Alfred's, but without the 50 on the back), purple shirt, yellow pants, and white shoes. The entire time (except for when they had gathered to discuss about him) the boy had never moved. Curious, Allan walked over and sat beside the boy, who didn't react.

"Hey." Allan said softly, not wanting to spook the boy. The boy blinked, but didn't look at him, "Who are you?"

"Kansas." the boy said quietly (it reminded Allan of Mattie, in a way), "34th State, also known as the Sunflower or Wheat State."

"Well, Kansas, why are you so quiet?"

"Reminiscing."

"About what?" It was at this point Kansas turned to him, and Allan recoiled in surprise and fear. The eyes of someone so young _should not_ have that h***ish amount of knowing death, of the haunting emptiness it leaves behind. Only older nations, like Allan, should have that kind of look, but not all the time, like Kansas seemed to have.

"Bleeding Kansas." he said ominously, then turned away, "Back a little before the Civil War, my territory was opened to be settled, and even though some people were already in me, more came. They were pro-slavery and abolitionist, fighting to see if I would become a free state or a slave state. I became a free state, but not without all the bloodshed that happened, much of it I saw myself. It was a few months before the Civil War that it all ended, but I still wish it hadn't happened. Missouri shared some of it, but I took the brunt of it, since most of it happened in me." Allan's eyes softened and he gently put a hand on Kansas' shoulder. The boy didn't react, and with the explanation, Allan wasn't surprised.

"What year are you now?" It was a special question, and Allan knew he was treading on _very_ thin ice by asking it. He, from his research, knew that Alfred asked his States and D.C. this question very rarely. It was asking how old they were by years, not by how they looked. No one, not even the Nations and States, really wanted to be reminded of how old they were, as you can never live forever, even if you are a personification.

"..." Kansas was quiet, "...39 years. I remember it was 1900 before we came here. I know everyone older than me up to Delaware and down to Utah, but the others are a mystery." That's right, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't joined yet. Oklahoma joined in 1907 and Hawaii joined in 1959. It would be quite a while before the other States would trust those five. But, if Kansas was 7 in 1900, then what year were the mentioned five? If he assumed correctly, then they all gained 10 years by the time 2000, but how? Did they age differently based on when they joined? Oh h**l no...

"Allan?" The 2P was taken out of his tempting thoughts to bang his head on the coffee table by Kansas' voice. He turned to see the boy looking up at him, a trace of worry in the cold eyes, and instantly his thoughts went on to helping Kansas. He knew how it felt to see so much death; he knew, because he caused a lot of it. He wanted Kansas to be happy, to smiled, and _not_ to look so broken. His hand was still on the boy's shoulder, he noticed, but he didn't take it away.

"Kansas, I want to help you." Allan said, "I know what it's like to see death. But, even though you're a State, a personification, you don't deserve to see that much until you get older. So, if you'll let me, I want to make you think more about happy things and be happy, not sad. Being so sad isn't a good thing." The 2P then took his hand away and awaited the answer. Kansas' face was blank for a while, emphasizing the shots and hollers in the background, and Allan was afraid that he would say no or nothing at all. However, he was proven wrong when a small smile finally broke the boy's stone face.

"I'd like that." he said. Allan found himself smiling back and he took the boy in his arms as he stood. Kansas didn't stop him, except for one thing:

"Call me Kanye, or Kan for short. That's what Dad named me, Papa." Allan froze in surprise, but then smiled in joy and adjusted the boy in his arms so Kan was sitting against his hip, easing some of his weight off of Allan's arms. It would be a long road, but if it took such moments as this to gain the States' trust, then he didn't care if it took forever; he was loving every single moment of it.

 _It's been a while since I've felt this way._ Allan thought, _Thank you for having kids, Alfred._

* * *

Said Nation was holed up in his country somewhere as the other Nations looked after the Magic Trio. To have said Alfred held no mercy was an understatement; if Mattie hadn't reminded him that the Trio were the only ones who could bring his States and capital back, he would have obliterated them. As it was, it would take at least a week before they could leave the hospital beds they were confined to, except for Arthur.

"Alfred has a mean right hook." Anghel muttered, Arthur to his left and Lukas to his right. The Romanian had suffered with both legs broken, his entire rib cage caving in from several blows that could down a train, and (luckily) one punctured lung. His hands and jaw had also been broken, but they had healed already, leaving him to already be searching for a way to track down the States and D.C. Thank goodness for the speed-healing of Nations.

"Not as bad as his roundhouse kicks." Lukas groaned. He had two broken arms, a nearly broken neck, his ribcage caving in as well, and a broken ankle. Alfred hadn't done as much damage to them as he had to Arthur.

"When do you think he's going to wake?" Anghel asked, glancing over at the third of the trio. Arthur had been Alfred's (unfortunately) main target and had suffered the worst damage. To make the list of injuries short, he was in a full body cast; even his jaw was shattered. He was lucky to be unconscious, because if he was awake, he would be hurting like h**l. Even if he was awake, he would be too delirious from the amount of drugs in his system to realize. In fact, they were all lucky Alfred hadn't managed to give them internal injuries.

"The doctor said he would awake soon, maybe in a day."

"Worst case scenario?"

"He's going to be in bed for a month or more." Anghel winced.

"Best case?"

"2 to 2-and-a-half weeks."

"Never piss Alfred off again?"

"I think we all learned that lesson two days ago." There was a small knock on the door before Serghei and Matthias came in. Anghel set the ancient book he had been looking at aside.

"Big brother, how are you doing?" the Romanian smiled and patted Serghei's head once the boy was close enough.

"Better. They took off the jaw brace this morning."

"So, how's it going on trying to track down the States and D.C.?" Matthias asked, taking a chair, "Arthur's bros are scouring his magic collection, or what's left of it, for clues."

"Well, since we used all different magic at the same time, it would make sense the kids were affected by the various magics at the same time." Lukas said, "If we could just find out what words Arthur said, then we could use them to trace where the States and D.C. went." Alfred had made it _very clear_ after the beating that, if they were to reference his kids, either say 'the kids' or 'the States and D.C.' Call D.C. anything but his name or a kid and Alfred would beat them up again.

"But since he's not going to wake any time soon, how are you going without the words?" the Dane continued.

"Lukas and I know how to reverse what we did." Anghel said, "Lukas just needs to give the kids the antidote while I say the memory curse at the same time, which is harder than it looks, mind you, but we can't do any of that until we find those kids!"

"Then you'd better hope Alfred didn't give Arthur amnesia, or you might get beat up again." Matthias said with a wince.

"He wouldn't do that again, would he?" Serghei asked worriedly. Anghel gave the Dane a glare before giving his brother a hug.

"Not if he wants to see his States and D.C. again." the Romanian murmured, "Now, you'd better get back to the others. Tell them what Denmark said and they'll be the ones beating _him_ up." Serghei smiled.

"Good idea, big brother!" the boy rushed off as Matthias paled.

"You didn't-!"

"Vampires hold no mercy, Nordic. You might want to catch up to Ser before he tells the others." Quickly, the Dane rushed out as Lukas was trying not to laugh or even chuckle, as that would hurt him worse.

"No wonder we're such good friends, Anghel."

"Yeah, but if we want to keep our heads, let's get back to this!" Anghel grabbed the book and opened it again, searching for the words Arthur might have said. Inside the book was a list of word combinations Arthur had recorded over the years. With as many as Arthur had, it could take months or even years to find the right ones! The Romanian only hoped they could somehow figure this out before Alfred came back...

* * *

 _ **Second chapter! How do you like it? Can you guess which other States were the ones I described? (2 in Chapter 1, 2 here) There are also some things I want to clear up:**_

 _ **Yes, I did make a play on Story & Lee's name. However, was it not perfect?**_

 _ **I gave each State (including D.C.) a human name here, and since Alfred has the last name of Jones, that's their last name. Kansas' is Kanye, or Kan (pronounced Khan) for short. He's not the most trusting of the States, but if he likes you, that means you're probably good, as most people don't get through to Kansas with his distant-ness.**_

 _ **As for Kansas himself, I want to make a few points: To some, Bleeding Kansas may not have been much, but try being a baby with a photographic memory (my headcanon is that all Nations and personifications have this) during that time. It scarred the kid for life! All he wants to do is just fly, which he loves (because of the Aviation Museu**_ _ **m and**_ _ **Cosmosphere and Space Center**_ _ **). He kind of freezes up about anything relating to blood except for Bleeding Kansas, and has an insane side that sometimes comes out while protecting his family. Just kind of imagine him as having a Snapped!Canada personality with a fear of blood.**_

 _ **As for Arthur being Alfred's main target and the other two getting off easy...Well, think about it. If you had any of those three to blame, which would you? Arthur, because he is the most likely to mess something up with a spell AND because he has threatened Alfred's kids before! (think Revolution and War of 1812) If that had happened to your children, you would blame him too and beat him to a pulp, would you not? (and no, I actually really like England. He just...has his flaws that are perfect to the story!)**_

 _ **Anyway, Read and Review, Readers!**_


	3. Chapter 3

Little Lights of Hope

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

"AHH!" "ALLAN!" The States scattered away from the window suddenly except for the first 13 (excluding NY) and D.C. (who was still in Virginia's arms) D.C. seemed scared, like the States, as he snuggled closer to Virginia with a whine of displeasure. The first States, however, were looking outside with as much hate and anger as they could muster. Allan, from their reactions, knew what they were seeing: Ollie was coming. Setting Kan back down, he briskly walked to the window and looked out. Yep, there he was, talking to some of the delivery men.

The original 13 still hated England, Allan guessed, to some extent. They had also (apparently) told the other States stories about England to make sure they didn't become friends with him. He wasn't worried about them becoming friends with Arthur, but Oliver was a totally different matter.

"Kids, whatever you do, _always_ stay away from that man, no matter what." Allan said as he got the 13 and D.C. away from the window, "He's not the England you know. He may look like fun and sunshine, but he isn't, so take my advice and _stay away_ from him."

"Don't have to tell us twice..." muttered one girl of 8 from her place behind the couch. She had emerald green eyes (like that d*** Arthur's), reddish brown hair (sort of like his) tied back into two pigtails, fair skin, and rugged clothing: black zip-up boots, knee-length camo pants with a dark brown leather belt (Allan was beginning to suspect that the States with belts were a part of the Bible Belt), and a red and black checkered tie top, the kind that ties in front and doesn't leave much to the imagination (why did Alfred let his kids make such revealing and skimpy choices?!). Allan then stepped outside to confront Ollie. Upon seeing the Nation, Oliver practically pounced on him.

"Allan!" Oliver cheered, "How have you been? I haven't seen you in ages and I was beginning to worry." Of course, the one time he hadn't decided to visit Oliver in a week, the man shows up on his f***ing doorstep. Wonderful.

"I've been busy." Allan unlatched Ollie from his waist and held the man by his shirt collar away at arms' length before dropping him (he had been through this so much it was almost second nature), "And I've still got a h**l of a lot of stuff do to, so go away."

"Maybe I could help!" D***, he _did not_ need Ollie's stubborn side right now.

"Don't you have some f***ing cupcakes to make?" Shoved in his face was the Swear Jar from out of nowhere. Without any telling from Oliver, he put a quarter in, where it disappeared behind Ollie's back and the conversation continued.

"No, I've made plenty waiting for you!" Oliver then made to go past him. The bat shot out and nearly hit Oliver's head.

"I do not need your f***ing s*** stubbornness right now." Allan snarled, eyes suddenly ablaze, "Just go home so I can work. The second I've got some free time, I'll call you." He then pushed Oliver away from the door. Confused and somewhat frightened by Allan's behavior, Oliver looked back. Allan was glaring at him, eyes narrowed, daring him to even _try_ to come close again. This was a side of Allan he had never seen, so he left, not wishing to deal with the unknown consequences. He didn't even think to make Allan put a quarter in the Swear Jar.

Once the colorful man was gone, Allan's face softened a little and he looked back inside. The States were looking at him in admiration, even the first 13. Yeah, making Oliver go away was _definitely_ a step in gaining their trust, probably one of the biggest he could get. He glanced back outside to see the men finally finishing up. All he needed to do now was to convince the States to get in the trailer and move them to the mansion.

 _Easier said than done._ Allan thought.

"How'd you make him go away so easily?" New Jersey asked excitedly, "Dad hasn't been able to do that at all!" A smile was brought to Allan's face.

"Practice." he said, "But he'll keep coming back here to see me, and if he sees you guys, he'll be just like your England." The States shivered at that, "But I have a solution. Outside is a tractor trailer, and giant car that can take us any where. I've got a special place that my England won't be able to find, but you need to get in the trailer so I can take you there." The States looked at each other and had another huddle. It seemed like the confrontation with Ollie and Kansas' bonding with Allan was doing some good. Finally, they came out of the huddle and New Hampshire once again stepped forward. It seemed he was some sort of negotiator for the States.

"We accept your offer, Allan." On the inside, the Nation deflated slightly. He had gotten them to go with him, showing some trust, but not enough to call him Papa, like Kansas had. However, he wasn't going to let this deter him.

"Okay then." Allan nodded, "Everything is ready, and I'll be waiting outside, in case there's something else you need to do. It's going to be a _long_ drive..." The States glanced at each other as he left.

* * *

Allan hummed as he drove, glancing at the new radio attached to his dashboard as it buzzed with the sounds of talking. Storen & Louis, besides being a furniture giant, was also an appliance giant. They had installed a radio in the cabin that connected with one in the trailer so Allan could communicate with the States, and he had made sure to show them how to use it before they left. Besides needing to tear New York away from his papers, the States hadn't waited in getting in the trailer, though they were a bit scared of it and the truck. Thankfully, Hawaii, Alaska, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico convinced them to get in (even though they were scared of the trailer and not the truck). Even now, where Allan was telling some of the car-interested States (Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, though Wisconsin was more into motorcycles, beer, and cheese) more about what he knew of cars, he could hear the youngest five (besides D.C.) talking about cars to the other States. And, thankfully, he was learning more about Alfred's States. They were so different compared to the ones Allan once had...

"Allan!" Indiana's voice cut in, "D.C. just had an accident! Is there someplace you could stop so we could take care of this?" Indiana was a girl of 9 with short red hair kept back by a headband, hot pink eyes, slightly tanned skin, and varied clothing (mostly basketball): dark brown, almost black cargo pants with cuffs, an Indiana basketball jersey, and blue and gray trainers. Allan rolled his eyes; he could guess what D.C.'s 'accident' was. He may not have seen his States in a long time, but he had taken care of them when they were babies, just like Alfred had. Either way, they were just coming up on a gas station/mini-mart, so they could stop there. And it was out in the middle of nowhere, so he would have to keep an eye out. There was no telling where you could get ambushed.

Soon enough, he had parked the truck and clambered out, going to unlock the trailer. As soon as it was open, Virginia rushed out, a crying D.C. in her arms. She was definitely the Mother of the States while Delaware was the Father of them. Technically, Alfred was their father, but Delaware certainly acted like one when their father wasn't around; though, he was just as gentlemanly as the Englands could be, especially with his manners.

As for the trailer, it was a little messy from the time the States had been in there, but still looked fairly similar to how it had been before. As was mentioned, installed into one of the walls was the radio, beside it a very large first-aid kit, and the floor was covered in soft carpet, as well as the walls (but not all the way up to the ceiling). Everywhere there were couches and chairs, wooden and plush, though one looked like it had been used as target practice by Tennessee and Kentucky (the boy with the guns and the wheat-haired boy, both of whom had been making even more bets during the drive; Allan could hear Tennessee's shooting in the background, along with shouts of joy from both boys. Kentucky, thankfully, never used any guns, especially since Tennessee wouldn't share; he only cheered Tennessee on, even more when North Dakota joined in, somehow obtaining a gun of his own. Tennessee still beat him pretty d*** badly). Glancing at the boys, he found them sniggering and ND not too far away, sulking as South Dakota and the Carolinas tried to cheer him up.

That was another thing he had noticed. Certain States tended to stay together or avoid one another. The boy and girl twins (Dakotas and Carolinas, respectively) tended to either stick by their twin, the gender-opposite twin (South Carolina and South Dakota), the gender-opposite of their other half (North Carolina and South Dakota), or just go in a four-some. Alaska and Hawaii tended to stay together as well, being as they were the youngest States and weren't a part of the mainland, unlike the rest, though Alaska and Texas tended to avoid each other; Indiana mentioned it was because Texas said he was the biggest State, but got beat up when it was said around Alaska. Virginia stuck with Maryland and D.C., probably because the two older States had to give away land for D.C. Maryland was also close to Delaware, but Virginia avoided him. The New States (New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and New Mexico) were an interesting group, seeing as New Mexico was the odd-one-out (it somehow reminded Allan of the Beatles, in a way). Florida and Alabama (the 8 year old that had spoken up from before) were really good friends and were also close to Kansas, since they all had some-sort of love for rockets and space, though Kansas was more aviation than space. There were many, many other relationships between the States that he could also muse about, but didn't have the time to, except for one.

The relationship between Virginia and West Virginia. In Allan's eyes, it reminded him of himself and Matt. At times they would get along like the best of friends, and at others they would fight like hissing cats. He wasn't quite sure why they acted that way, but he knew he wanted to stay out of it. Getting into something like that would leave more than physical injuries.

Turning his head, he found Virginia finally coming out of the bathroom, smiling as she played with D.C. Hopefully they wouldn't have another accident on the road, because Allan didn't remember if there were any more- He stopped, eyes trained on the shadows. He had seen a familiar glint very briefly, but he knew what was about to happen. Before he knew what he was doing, he was running to Virginia, telling her to duck and all the States to get in the trailer. Virginia obeyed him without question and narrowly missed her neck being impaled by a throwing knife.

 _Luciano._ Allan thought, helping Virginia to her feet and gently pushing her to the trailer, putting himself between the shadows and the States. All of them were scrambling to enter the trailer, Maryland, West Virginia, and Delaware waiting to help Virginia and D.C. The capital was crying loudly in fear, clinging tightly to Virginia's shirt.

"Come out of there and fight, _Luci_." Allan snarled. All the Nations knew that N. Italy hated being called that, but some very lucky ones (Lutz and Flavio) could get away with it without being hurt. Instantly the Italian stepped out of the shadows, a mask of anger on his face as he held his throwing knives in both hands.

"Don't call me that, you b******!" he roared, "And what the h**l are you doing?!"

"Protecting those kids." Allan said, fingering his bat, "If you try to hurt them again, I will not hesitate to make you pay." Luciano scoffed.

"You've lost your touch, fata**." he said, "You've gone soft-" He stopped as there was a small thunk beside his ear. The knife he had thrown at Virginia was now embedded in the wall behind him, right beside his head, and Allan's hand was still in the air.

"I am not soft." Allan growled, a trace of madness entering his eyes as they blazed, "And it would do you good to leave here before you make me even madder. This is your _last_ warning, North Italy." Luciano paused. The only time they had been called their Nation names was only during meetings or in fits of _extreme_ anger. And with Allan being one of the strongest, second only to Viktor, he knew he was in No Nation's Land right now. However, the opportunity of defeating Allan _and_ getting a nice snack in the process was too tempting. He leapt forward, knives flying at Allan's outstretched arm. It was cut in numerous places and one knife even got stuck in the larger Nation's palm, but Allan didn't flinch. Instead, he swung his bat as the quickly retreating Luci, barely missing him. At that, Allan took the knife out of his palm and threw it at Luciano with his bad hand. It nearly hit the Italian's curl. It was one thing to attack a Nation, but trying to hit sacred things such as the curls of North and South Italy was an outright declaration of war. Luci hadn't been planning to hold back, but now he was certainly going to go all out.

The States (excluding Kansas and D.C.) watched in fear and awe as Allan fought. His movements, even with his bat, were swifter than they thought, especially taking the bat's weight into account. After the Italian managed to get his arm and hand, Allan had hit Luciano in the stomach with his bat, making multiple wounds with the nails and tearing out flesh as the bat was taken away. Before Allan could make another blow, though, Luci stabbed him in the stomach and knees; Allan still stood and brought the bat down onto Luciano's back. North Italy wouldn't be able to get up for a while, as the force of the bat and the nails broke his ribs and his spine.

Still ignoring the pain, Allan staggered back to the trailer, where Texas was taking charge with his knowledge of medical supplies and injuries. Wisconsin took Allan's keys to the truck, saying that he, Indiana, and Ohio would take turns with making the trip back. With help from Alaska, Texas moved Allan to a vacant couch as the trailer door closed. Allan wanted to stay awake and look out for the States, but wasn't able to as sleeping pills and pain meds were given to him by Iowa.

 _D*** f***ing son of a b****..._ was Allan's last thought before he was forced into sleep.

* * *

"Okay, so we have no idea where Papa's safe house is, but we're driving this monster?" Ohio asked. He was a 9-year-old boy with light blond messy hair dyed sky blue, purple eyes, tanned skin, and mechanic clothing: the classic blue jean suspenders, a black and red checkered shirt, and orange tennis shoes.

"Yep!" Indiana answered, digging through the glove compartment, "Ah-ha! Found something!" She pulled back with a old map in hand. It looked like the ones that the original 13 sometimes showed them: rumpled, cracked, and a sickly yellow. But, it did have a map from the house they had been at to the safe place, labeled 'Mansion'. It seemed to be more of a reminder of where the Mansion place was, as the road was blurry and there were all sorts of notes on it.

"...We're doomed." Wisconsin said. He was a 7-year-old boy with blond hair that had dashes of brown and black in it, dark brown eyes, slightly tanned skin, and varied clothes: sea-blue swimming trunks, a light brown flannel shirt, and black working boots; he was one of the many States who loved the water, which was why he always wore those trunks. Indiana whipped around.

"No we're not! Besides, we can ask one of the 13 to help us decipher this!" she said, "We've got to get there to help Papa! He saved us, and it's the right thing to do! Don't you remember what Dad taught us?" Slowly, the boys nodded and a determined light entered their eyes. Wisconsin put in the keys, Ohio went down to handle the pedals, and Indiana had the map. They were going to get there, to the Mansion place, and help their surrogate father, one way or another.

* * *

To help him blow off steam, Mattie and convinced Alfred to do some hockey with him. It was the only time that Mattie wouldn't be able to surely beat him, as Alfred was as crazy as Mattie right now.

"B*****s..." Alfred kept muttering under his breath as he dodged Mattie's swipes at the puck. Even with his mind on something else he was playing the game pretty good.

"Get your head in the game, d*** it!" Mattie roared as he once again couldn't get the puck away, "I know you're worried about your kids, Al, but the others are doing the best they can! All you can do is wait." He was thrown back as the puck was suddenly shot at him, hitting his shoulder. He could feel the pain as there was the clear crack of his shoulder breaking. Holding it with his free hand, the other gripping his hockey stick, he looked up at Alfred in shock. Alfred's hockey stick was still in the air, cracks lining it from how tightly it was being held, the Nation's face blank but eyes on fire.

"I know I can't do anything." Alfred said quietly, "But that doesn't mean I can't worry." Slowly, he lowered the hockey stick, "Think about it, why don't you? What if your 13 territories were personified and they suddenly disappeared? _How would you feel_?" Alfred then turned and stalked back into Canada's house. Mattie was still shocked, though. He remembered the time he had yelled at Alfred so much the Nation of Freedom had cried; he guessed this was like Alfred's unplanned revenge. He didn't even apologize for breaking his brother's shoulder. Mattie doubted Alfred knew his shoulder was broken. As the hockey fever subsided, he wondered if he would ever see his brother again.

 _You jacka**es had better find his kids and soon._ Mattie thought about the Magic Trio, _I don't think I could take another match like this one._ He touched his shoulder once again and winced. Yeah, he needed to put it in a splint until it healed, which would take at least a day. Briefly, he wondered what Alfred would be like at hockey if he had the same hockey fever Canada had. Mattie shivered at the image; there was no way he wanted that version of his brother. Almost as scary as when Alfred beat up the Magic Trio. And speaking of that, he had to keep Alfred's attention off of them for now. If he continued to beat them up before they could do anything, then he really wouldn't see his States and capital ever again.

* * *

 _ **Third chapter up! And here are some clarifications:**_

 _ **The States won't be described until they talk or Allan wishes to describe them. That's why only Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin are described in this chapter, despite the references to many other States.**_

 _ **Allan is just as protective of the States as Alfred is, so it's no wonder Oliver was sent away harshly and Luciano beaten badly.**_

 _ **Texas is the State with the most hospitals, which is why he's in charge of healing others.**_

 _ **Alaska is the biggest State, despite Texas' claims that he is. Alaska usually beats him if he hears Texas say that around him.**_

 _ **Tennessee and Kentucky are a bit wild, yes, but they're great marksmen. North Dakota, like South Dakota and Oklahoma, used to have big populations of Native Americans (like the other States, of course), but because of this, ND is a great marksman like TN and KY.**_

 _ **Tennessee is Switzerland-level at shooting, maybe even better than the country, because some very good marksmen have come out of his State, like Allan York, the men who searched and mapped the frontier during the Revolution, and so on. It's the reason why he carries that rifle and a gun in his boot. NEVER challenge this State to a shoot-off. TN will ALWAYS win, even against his father.**_

 _ **Many stories have Mattie and Matt crazy when it comes to Hockey, but with how protective they are of the States, Alfred and Allan can get even nastier.**_

 _ **Both worlds run on the same time, so the events of the 2P!World are happening the same day the States disappeared. The events of the 1P!World go a little later for the last chapter and this chapter by about two days, but everything will settle and catch up in the next chapter.**_

 _ **Wisconsin has many breweries and beer companies in it, which is why he loves beer, Wisconsin is almost always associated with cheese, and he has the Harley-Davidson Museum. No wonder he loves motorcycles more than cars.**_

 _ **Indiana has the Indiana 500 and Ohio is America's Industrial Capital, which is why they love cars. 'Nuff said, as Stan Lee would say!**_

 _ **The reason Allan is as good with Luciano's knives is because of two things: 1, he is in overprotective-rage mode; 2, as they're both killers, Luciano must have shown him how to use knives in case he ever needed to. Same thing goes with Allan on showing Luci how to use his bat, but only he and Viktor (2P!Russia) can really use it, since they're the only ones who can handle the weight. I'm guessing the other Nations share uses of weapons as well.**_

 _ **With Allan's protection from both Oliver and Luciano, he has gained a lot of trust and respect from the States to the point most of them are calling him Papa. The 13, however, still need a little more convincing. They are Alfred's first kids, after all; however, as they get older, their anger at England lessens and the other States aren't afraid of him, but since they're back to being kids...**_

 _ **And yes, it's mentioned in canon that Canada once yelled at America for 3 hours straight, making his brother cry. So, make Mattie angry and you're in for a h**l of a time.**_

 _ **The Bible Belt are the most religious States: Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and the Carolinas. So, if a State is wearing a belt, they're a part of the Bible Belt.**_

 _ **I put the New States together because of t**_ _ **heir names, mainly. Florida is home to NASA, Alabama was where the first rocket to take people (Apollo 11) to the moon was built and has the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, and Kansas has the**_ _ **Cosmosphere and Space Center, as mentioned in the last chapter.**_

 _ **My headcanon is, if you attack a Nation's special appendage during a fight (the Italies' curls, America's glasses or his curl), they don't hesitate to beat you up. I bet even 1P!Italy would do it if his curl was attacked.**_

 _ **Anyway, now that all of that is out of the way, Read and Review, readers!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Little Lights of Hope

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

"Is that it?" Indiana asked. Wisconsin had the map this time, Indiana was driving, and Ohio was once again at the pedals. Every so often they would switch and they had been on the road for at least 2 or more hours. Allan was in stable condition and was healing fast, as the radio chatter was saying. Up ahead, she could see a giant forest. Wisconsin nodded.

"Seems like it, but it doesn't mention a road towards the place."

"We'll have to find it?" Ohio asked from below. Indiana nodded as Wisconsin put the map back in the glove compartment. Briefly, he wondered why the map was there if the truck was rented. Then he remembered: the truck was 'given' to Allan and the man had taken something from the other, bright red car.

 _He must have bought or built this place a long time ago and made that map so he could find it._ Wisconsin thought. The truck continued on the roadway, trying to find the driveway up. Allan had mentioned that's what people used to get to their houses, not driving straight toward it, even through a forest.

* * *

Slowly, Allan came to. He tried to open his eyes, but squeezed them shut and groaned when he saw light, causing him a headache.

"Shh! I think Papa's awake!" said one voice, a girl's. All the talking and movement that had been going on immediately ceased. When he was sure he could open his eyes without hurting his head or getting blinded, he did so and found the States surrounding him. The one who had talked, it seemed, was Hawaii, with Alaska beside her. Alaska had been the boy who first spoke (back when he had first met the States) and Hawaii he had quickly come to learn of and like: she was 5 with bright yellow eyes, medium-length black hair laced with flowers, heavily tanned skin, and summer clothing: she had a long, multicolored skirt, peach sandals, and a short pink tank top that ended just above her belly. The two youngest States, along with many of the others, were looking at him with both admiration and worry. Allan tried to sit up, but was gently pushed back down.

"Easy there, Pa. You need to rest some more, even if you have speeding healing like the other Nations!" said the boy who had pushed him down, Texas. He was 7 with reddish-brown medium-length shaggy hair (sort of like Allan's, but longer and wilder), hazel eyes, heavily tanned skin, and country clothing: a tan cowboy hat with a black band, dark blue, almost black jeans, dark brown cowboy boots, and a light brown vest covering a dark orange shirt with a flag on the front. It had a white star in a blue stripe on the left side while on the right was a white stripe and a red stripe; the red and white ones were horizontal (the white on top) while the blue one was vertical (Allan guessed it was Texas' flag, which made him wonder if the stars on TN's shirt were also a part of his State flag).

"You were awesome, Papa!" said North Dakota, having recovered from the shoot-off at last; he was 6 with red eyes, white hair, tanned skin, and viking/Native American clothing: tied-on viking helmet (sort of like Delaware's tricorn hat), small (stopping just below the chest) brown leather jacket over a white tank top, dark brown pants, and light brown moccasins. He and his twin were the most energetic and wild of the States except for Wyoming, who could get even wilder at times (the red eyes, white hair, and the energetic personality made ND look and act like a mini-Gilbert, but not as perverted). Allan smiled, rubbing the State's head affectionately. Protecting them from Luciano had definitely gotten the trust of most of them.

"Thanks." he glanced at some of the first 13, or the ones he could see. Virginia was giving him an approving look, as well as the others, but there was still some distrust in the eyes of Massachusetts, Delaware, and New York. He knew they would probably be the hardest to win over because of a few things: one, NY was notorious for being all business and no fun, except when he was drunk (which Allan was not about to do. The kid may have been over a 100 years old, but physically, he wasn't going to get any alcohol _at all_ ). Two, Delaware was one of the leaders of the States and the first to be ratified. Three, Massachusetts had started the Revolution. It was obvious NY and MA were going to be the hardest to get, as they had definite trust issues. Delaware might be easier, as he would want all of the States to be safe. Allan could find a way to use that to convince Delaware that he was trustworthy. Once both Delaware and Virginia were on his side, then maybe he could also convince Massachusetts and New York.

"That maniac sort of looked like Italy, one of the other countries, but it couldn't have been him." NJ mused.

"He's not the same Italy you know." Allan explained, sitting up despite Texas' and Iowa's protests, "In this world, the nations here are opposite of the nations you know. The England and Italy you saw are Oliver and Luciano. They, along with the other nations, are what make this world dangerous. As you can see from my bat, I'm a bit dangerous too." Glancing over to the side, he noted that his bat was leaning against the couch, right beside him, "However, not all the nations are dangerous. Your Belarus is crazy and wants to marry her brother while mine is kind and shy. There are a few other nations who can be kind as well, even Oliver. But, everyone here is a backstabber, even me." Allan ignored the tears that he felt in his eyes, "A long time ago, I used to have my own States. They were opposites of the original 13, along with being colored differently, but I loved them all the same. But then Ollie found out about them. It was my mistake, I told him about my States shortly after the Revolution, thinking he would be so joyful that I had my own kids. He was joyful, but for all the wrong reasons.

"After the Revolution, I left him raw and hurting." Allan said as the tears poured freely, his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold in sobs, "He went to my house while I was out and hurt my States. He tortured them and then killed them. He had his revenge and left me in pieces. Like Arthur, your England, he even put a curse on me: As long as I lived, there would never be any more personifications of my States or even D.C. in this world." Allan tried to wipe the tears away, but they continued to pour, "I still love Oliver as a brother, but that is something I can never forgive him for. It's still a raw topic for me, as you can see. When I saw you all, I had the hopeless though that you were my States, that the curse was broken, but when I saw the 13, I knew you had to be Alfred's, your Dad's States." Allan sniffed, briefly wondering why he was telling them this before continuing.

"After I knew that, I knew what I had to do: I wasn't going to let any of you get hurt by the other nations, especially Oliver. If I can't have my States or capital, then Alfred can at least have his. History isn't going to repeat itself as long as I protect you. If they try to kill you, they'll have to kill me first." When he felt pressure on his legs, he looked down, surprised. Alaska and Hawaii were hugging them, looking up at him in sadness. He turned his head to see Kan climbing on the couch to hug one arm, South Carolina standing and hugging the other. He was hugged from behind by Utah, and around him, other States looked like they wanted to hug and comfort him. All of them were crying.

"Then we'll try to be the best kids you could ever have." Utah said. She was 5 with long, dusty blonde hair with Alfred's cowlick, yellow-orange eyes, heavily tanned skin, and skimpy/fancy clothing: a short white jacket (same length as ND's vest) over a light blue tank top that was about the same length, long golden skirt, and knee-high sandals. Allan smiled once again as the other States nodded. Virginia even gave D.C. to him. The baby capital looked up him and smiled.

"Papa." he said, snuggling into Allan's bomber jacket. This time, Allan cried in happiness, hugging the States close, glad his new little family accepted him, even for what he was.

* * *

By the time they arrived, everything was settled down. The driving States had even heard Allan's story over the radio and hugged him when he got out. Thankfully, he was healed up enough that he didn't have bandages anymore, though Texas and Delaware were on each side of him to help him if he needed it. He was glad that the States, all pf them, were now trusting of him. D.C. was still in his arms, Kan holding one hand as the other held up the capital, as they all looked up at the giant mansion. It was as big (maybe even bigger) as a castle, and looked to be in the best of conditions, along with the area surrounding it. Trees surrounded it from every direction, stretching for at least a mile, and the driveway was gravel, so as to make it inconspicuous.

"I built this place before my States died. They never got to see it, though." Allan sighed sadly, "I've kept it in good condition in hopes that I would see them again. I also built it here, where almost no one could find it without a map. With what Oliver did, it was a pretty good idea. Now c'mon. I've got to show you around, especially to your rooms." The States followed him inside, amazed at the interior. The foyer was giant, with a large, castle-like staircase in the middle and hallways and doors leading out of the room.

"Upstairs are your rooms, my room, and the bathrooms." Allan explained, "There are only 6, so be patient. First 25 States, you have your rooms on the left. Last 25, yours are on the right. Mine is at the end of the hallway." He let go of Kan's hand for a second to point to the left, "Kitchen and dining room are that way. Don't worry, the dining room has enough chairs and a long enough table." He pointed to the right, "Livingroom's that way. Any other room you find is empty, as I haven't had the time to customize them yet, and since no one's been in your rooms, you get to make them what you want, too." Allan grabbed Kan's hand again, "There's also an attic, where I put all the old baby stuff and toys for my States. Anyway, you can take a look around now. I have to get the baby stuff and find out which room I should put it in, as someone has to share a room with D.C." Virginia and Kan followed him upstairs while the rest looked around.

"Well, we can probably use the furniture in the trailer to help spruce up this place." Nevada, the fancy 6-year-old girl, said (with her State being one of the flashiest, she was also one of the best to ask about decorating), "We'll also need a lot of paint and a lot of other stuff each of us like. We could probably make one or two rooms, depending on how many free ones there are, into libraries. Another could made into a shooting range, and another could be a stage..." She had already pulled out a pencil and pad from nowhere and was writing ideas, muttering to herself.

"How are we going to order all that stuff? It can't be brought directly here, obviously, and how much is all that going to cost?" Mississippi asked. He was a boy of 9 with golden-brown eyes, dark gray short hair, tanned skin, and river-rafting-type clothing: white river shorts with light brown leather belt, navy endurance jacket, red t-shirt with white stars on the rim, and red and black water shoes. New York was already typing away at a calculator, which he had also taken from nowhere.

"We could order it and pick it up at the beginning of the driveway." Indiana said.

"We'll already have to pay quite a lot, even if we don't get any food." New York said monotonously, "Just by our rooms alone, it'll cost thousands, if not into the millions."

"It _will_ cost millions once we add in the addition of food and the stuff we'd need for the other rooms." New Mexico said.

"Well, there's got to be something we can do." admonished Oklahoma. She was a girl of 5 with medium-length black hair dyed blonde, pulled back into a short ponytail, and laced with feathers, yellow eyes with red specks, reddish-tanned skin, and country clothing: light gray vest covering a yellow t-shirt, faded green knee-length shorts, brown cowboy boots, and a forward facing green neckerchief.

"This place may be murderous, but we're not stealing anything!" Nebraska clarified. He was a 6-year-old boy with red eyes, medium-length blond hair with Alfred's cowlick in a small ponytail, tanned skin, and western clothes: black riding boots, thick gray pants, and a yellow t-shirt.

"We know." Georgia sighed, "There's gotta be something we can do..."

"We can grown our own vegetables!" Illinois said, "We'd probably have to have an indoor greenhouse, but it'd help save us money." She was 8 with hazel eyes, medium-length rust-colored hair held back on the left by a cardinal-shaped hair clip, tanned skin, and farm clothing: a pale green flannel shirt, faded knee-length red shorts, a straw hat, and white and yellow sneakers.

"Not for long." North Carolina sighed, "The only thing that we could really do is ask Papa to scare the people into giving us what we want." None of them looked like they liked the idea, but knew she was right. They really didn't have another choice.

"Now that that's settled, let's explore!" The States cheered and ran off.

* * *

In total, there were about 13 free rooms besides their own. A few of them connected to one another, and one pair was christened as the library rooms. Another pair, once one wall was taken out and enforced with glass, would be the shooting range. The fifth room they found had several windows, all large enough that someone could walk through one; this was made the greenhouse room. One room was for D.C. only, another pair was planned to be a stable and rodeo room (they wondered if Allan would allow it), one was made into a gambling room, one would be used for storage, another pair, once the wall between them was taken out, would be perfect for a water park. The last was decided to become a stage. During the searching, Virginia also went to find Texas and Alaska, who were needed to help move some stuff from the attic. Despite being 5, Alaska was as strong as Texas, if not more, since he was the biggest State.

"We decided that D.C.'s stuff would be in Allan's room, giving me a break," Virginia said with a happy sigh, "and Allan could ask me if there was something about D.C. he didn't know." Upon getting upstairs, Texas and Alaska saw that there was a huge trapdoor hanging from the ceiling, stairs coming from it. Allan, D.C., and Kan were nowhere in sight.

"Where's Papa?" Alaska asked.

"In the attic." Virginia answered, "He put Kan in charge of D.C. I hope the kid does well."

"Of course he will!" Texas said, patting Virginia's back, "All of us have cared for D.C., too!"

"But he hasn't been this young since 1800!" Virginia protested, "Something's not right, and the other 13 think so too."

"You mean like me?" Alaska asked, "I know everyone, and many of you are older than me! But now, you don't know who I am and are so much younger."

"Well, what year was it before you found yourself here?" Virginia asked.

"1978. I joined in 1959, like Hawaii." he explained.

"Do you think one of Arthur's spell sent us here?" Texas asked, "Also turning us into kids and making us forget everything that happened after the year we were aged to?"

"That's probably it." Virginia said, "All of us are our ages from 1900, where we don't remember anything beyond that, but Alaska, Hawaii, and the others after 1900 are aged to how old they would be during that year."

"Yeah." Alaska nodded, "You were almost 18, Virginia, and Texas was almost 15."

"HEY!" Allan called from the attic, "Vir, are you back? I need help moving the crib!" The three States glanced at each other.

"We'll discuss this later." Texas said and they all went up the stairs to help.

* * *

At the States' proposal of having Allan scare some people into getting what they needed, he said he would do what he could. All the furniture was moved into the gambling room and D.C.'s game room, with the exception of the bat, which Allan himself would have to get. He also agreed to their ideas for game rooms, saying they could oversee the engineering, as long as they stayed safe and that the animals were taken care of well. This got him many smiles and cheers, making him smile himself. Once making sure all that States were in the house and preoccupied, the nation went outside to get his bat and to call someone. However, he was called first. His eyes narrowed when he saw Matt's number on the screen, but he answered it anyway.

"What is it?"

"What the h**l do you think you're doing?!" Matt's voice roared through the speakers, making Allan have to hold his phone away, "Ollie was frightened half to death by your behavior and Luciano called me, asking if you were on drugs!"

"Nothing's wrong, nature b*****!" Allan shouted back.

"Then why are you taking care of a lot of kids?" Allan froze, "Luci told us. We _know_ those d*** kids can't be yours, so whose are they?"

"How would you f***ing know?!" Allan snarled, gripping the phone so tightly it cracked, before lowering his voice, "If you try to find me, you won't. And _keep away from the kids_. If you don't, you'll end up like Luci, maybe even _worse_." He threw the phone to the ground before stomping on it. Picking up his bat, he continued to bash the already dead phone. Once his anger had run out, he brought out another phone and fiercely dialed another number. He had two phones: one for nations and another for his country-wide mob. He would have to get another one for the nations, but that could wait.

"It's me, Allan." he growled once it was answered, "I've got two jobs for you. One, keep the b***** nations from getting into my country. If they get in or are already here, send them right back out. Two, I need a h**l of a lot of intimidation to get some stuff..."

* * *

Matt stared at the phone as it droned on with its dial tone. Allan and him fought plenty, sure, but the voice Allan had used to threaten him wasn't anything he had heard before. Allan had been quiet and dead serious when he had threatened Matt. Usually, the southern nation would make the threat big and loud, not like he had right then.

As he had told Allan, Oliver had come to his house, crying. He told Matt about Allan's strange behavior before Luciano had called, cursing the North American brothers, especially Allan. He then told Matt that Allan had been protecting a whole bunch of kids and even fought and threatened him because of them. He then asked the Canadian if his brother was on some sort of crazy drug.

"Well?" Oliver asked, poking his head in from the living room. Matt was in his room when he had called Allan.

"D*** son of a b****!" Matt tossed a quarter into Ollie's Swear Jar before continuing, "He's hiding something, probably those kids Luciano mentioned. He told me that if we tried to find him, we wouldn't. And if we went after the kids, he would beat us up to the extent he beat Luci, if not worse." He lit a cigarette, taking a drag as Oliver frowned sadly.

"What makes them so important he would hurt us?" Oliver asked.

"Who knows?" Matt turned to him as he put his phone away, "We're checking this out. Get Francois." Ollie grinned and left, going to the house phone. As the Brit chattered excitedly with the most-likely annoyed Frenchman, Matt wondered what had happened to his brother.

* * *

In two days, the States had most of the stuff they needed: furniture, guns, books, paint, shelves, a construction crew, supplies for construction, food, etc. They even got the horses and bulls for the stables/rodeo rooms, along with their food. Allan smiled, holding D.C. as the States went crazy with what they were given. He was also smiling because he had gotten a few texts over the past few days. Several nations, mainly Matt, Oliver, and Francois, had tried to enter, but were quickly sent away. Luciano was also sent home to Flavio and the rest of the Axis once the cursing Italian mob boss was found. Eventually, they would find some way in, and once they did, they would try to search for him, but he wouldn't let them touch the States or D.C. If they tried, he would either kill them, hurt them and send them off, or be killed in the process. _NO ONE_ was going to touch the kids. If he had his way, not even _Alfred_ would...

* * *

 _ **Another chapter! Now that both worlds are once again on track, I can get back to talking about the 1P!s and how they're dealing with Alfred. Also, here are some notes:**_

 _ **A lot of math went into figuring out their ages, so don't ask how I did it. PLEASE DON'T. Just know that by 2000, they're at their normal ages, which I have listed in my**_ **Laws, Laws, Laws** ** _story._**

 _ **Illinois' state bird is the cardinal. That's why she has a cardinal-shaped hair clip.**_

 _ **Vir, pronounced Veer, is Virginia's nickname, short for Violet, her human name. She can also be called Ginny.**_

 _ **The Plains Art Museum and the Scandinavian Heritage Association are both in North Dakota. That's why his clothing is a mix of Native American and Viking, though he may or may not have viking heritage.**_

 _ **New York, especially the city, is known for it's business. But, if he's drunk, wouldn't that show his fun-loving, Broadway side?**_

 _ **And also, how Allan lost his States is my headcanon. Makes sense, right?**_

 _ **The 2P!Hetalia Wiki says that Allan's intelligence relies on his manipulation skills rather than any kind of social skills (Alfred has the social skills, but not manipulation skills). This would make him perfect to be the mob boss of America, while Luciano is the mob boss for Italy. He also has a soft spot for animals, which would be why he tells the States to take special care of the animals.**_

 _ **Iowa is the safest State, which would make sense that he would help Texas take care of the injured.**_

 _ **Anyway, READ & REVIEW!**_


	5. Chapter 5

Little Lights of Hope

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

Michael knocked on the door. He knew this house well, he had been here many times with his mother. It had been a while since he had visited, but now that Nevada was missing, along with the other States and D.C... Someone who knew Alfred's worry and pain would be the only one who could get through to the distressed Nation. Michael was the only one who could do that.

The door was soon opened by a glaring Alfred, who calmed and softened when he saw who it was.

"Michael..." he opened the door fully, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, Grandpa." Michael nodded. Since Nevada was his mother and the daughter of Alfred, it would make sense for the Molossian to be Alfred's grandson.

"Don't be so stiff, Michael." Alfred gently laid a hand on the micronation's shoulder, "You're worried not only about your mother, but D.C. too, and I know it. It's alright to show your emotions in times like this." Michael knew he was right, but his pride wouldn't allow it. Not many of the States wanted to accept him, but D.C. and Alfred had right away. D.C., even though he was Michael's uncle, was younger than him and had supported the kid every step of the way, even though his government didn't; Alfred was similar. The man was proud to have a grandson, even though the boy was a micronation, and supported his longing for freedom, even though his government didn't. Sometimes, it felt like the Land of Freedom fought against himself on what he was supposed to represent.

"Come inside, at least." Alfred said, where the micronation walked in, "The other Nations are trying their best to help keep my mind off of D.C. and the States, but I just can't. If they were fathers and mothers, they would have the same feelings. Even brothers and sisters would, so why don't Arthur and his brothers, Feli, Lovi, Ludwig, Gilbert, and even Ivan and his sisters understand?"

"I bet they do." Michael said as he and Alfred walked together down the long halls to the living room, "I've been talking with the other micronations, who have been trying to cheer me up. They know I don't like getting sympathy, but they still want to help me." Alfred nodded.

"I know. This isn't the first time the other nations have done this to me." Michael took a seat on the couch as Alfred went to a closet, opening it to reveal all sorts of games, both electrical and board, "So, while you're here, want to play some games with me?"

"Sure." Michael shrugged.

"How about some Poker?" A glint entered the micronation's eyes.

"I'm the son of a gambler. There's no way I would pass that up!" Alfred grinned and grabbed a deck of cards.

"You're talking to the _father_ of a gambler. I taught my States how to gamble, Mol. You _might_ beat me, but I don't think so."

"I thought Mom learned all of her gambling techniques from her people." Alfred grabbed a chair and a table as well, bringing them over so he could play with Michael.

"She learned a few and made some herself, but she learned most of it from me."

"When did you learn to gamble?"

"Since Arthur found me. I gambled all the time with the colonists and the British officers while Arthur was gone. I've been saving up all the money I've gotten in a special emergency money stash." Alfred shuffled and dealt the cards with the ease and expertise of a great gambler.

"Would that money still work today?" Alfred chuckled.

"You think that I still have all of the original stuff? I gave it away to museums in exchange for how much they were/would be worth."

"How much is in the emergency stash?"

"Billions or trillions, I'm not quite sure." Alfred laughed aloud at the look on Michael's face, "I saved a _lot_ of money, Mol."

"...Wouldn't you be able to pay Yao off with all that money?!" Alfred shrugged.

"Most of it, at least. But remember, it's emergency money. No one, not even my people, knows about the stash except the States. And when they gamble, they add to it." Michael perked up at this.

"What do you mean?"

"Every time they gamble, ten percent of the earnings goes to the stash. But, since it's just you and me, we won't do that." The boy nodded.

"Do you gamble with the other countries?" Alfred smirked.

"I wish, but they never gamble. If they ever did, though, I would bleed them dry." Michael smiled.

"I do it sometimes with the other micronations when I manage to convince them. Afterwords, they remember _why_ they don't gamble with _me_." Alfred barked out a short laugh.

"You take after your mother _so_ much!" Both their faces then fell, "But now..."

"Yeah..." It was quiet between them for a moment, "Let's just do some Poker, okay?"

"Right..."

* * *

"For a capital, you're strong!" Allan smiled as he played with D.C. Until the renovations were finished for D.C.'s play room, the baby could only play in Allan's room. The other States were around somewhere, either spearheading the projects downstairs or working on their rooms. Suddenly, there was a knock. Allan looked up to see Mer in the door frame, looking in with Kan and Col behind him.

Mer was a 5-year-old boy with dark green eyes hidden behind yellow glasses/sunglasses (depending on whether the weather was sunny), sun-bleached medium-length black hair under a small, plain sombrero, heavily tanned skin, and summer clothing: a small white poncho, white beaded sandals, an orange t-shirt, and green shorts.

Col was a boy of 6 with dark brown eyes, slightly tanned skin, short blond, almost white hair, and diverse clothing: a black and dark gray ski jacket (the puffy kind) with a white t-shirt underneath, gray shorts with the ends rolled up slightly, and black-and-white strap shoes. In a way, he was like a more energetic and not-as-serious version of NY and NH. He was also one of the many States who loved water.

"Papa, you won't believe what we found!" Mer said.

"The crews were digging under the stage area for more space when we found this big spring, and it made us have another idea!" Col said. Allan wondered where they were going with this. They already had ideas for a water park.

"We've decided to make the underground spring into our water park and use the water park rooms for something else." Kan said, "We're not sure what, though. Can we do it?" Allan smiled and nodded. The other two boys cheered and ran off, but Kan stayed behind and walked up to him, sitting beside Allan and D.C. on the bed.

"Everything's really strange." Kan said, "We're all different ages than we should be and you know it."

"Yes, I do." Allan nodded, not surprised at the accusation; he knew it would come soon enough, "However, I didn't do it. I'm just here to take care of you."

"You're doing a good job of it." D.C. giggled and raised his hands to Kan, who smiled and gently took the baby.

"D.C. shouldn't be this young." Kan said suddenly, saddening, "Since I came later, I knew he was 5 before we came here. He ages the longest out of all of us, despite being the capital. Every 2 decades he gains a year. Right now, he looks like baby." Kan sighed, "He shouldn't be like this."

"I know, but there's nothing I can do." the two were quiet as they watched D.C. play with Kan's hair, "...What was he like before all this happened?" Kansas brightened.

"Just like Dad." the boy said, "Dinis wanted to be just like his father in every way. He was also one of the biggest pranksters we ever saw. Though, it's not like we're not pranksters ourselves, TN and KY especially. Everyone's gone through a pranking phase, usually when they're young. D.C., TN, and KY still haven't outgrown their's, but they get quite a bit of material from Mass. His Boston Tea Party prank was the best one any State has ever done and no one's beaten it yet."

"Who are the targets of their pranks?" Allan asked warily, feeling as though he already knew the answer.

"Sometimes people or the other States, but it's usually Dad. If there are guests over, they become the main targets." Kan met his eyes with empathy, "Keep your guard up. Any of the States could prank you. I know because, even though he's my best friend, Mi got me once. It never ends well."

"Oh, don't I know it..." He remembered that his States had been in the middle of a pranking phase themselves before they died, and if Alfred's States were anything like his...He was in _big_ trouble. Allan stood, hoping that the pranks wouldn't start just yet.

"Want to come with me and talk a walk?" he said, retrieving D.C., "There's something I want to show you guys, too."

"Can't the others come along?" Kan asked, getting up and following as Allan walked out.

"If they want to." They walked together quietly.

"...What's it like, being a State?" Kan looked up at Allan, surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, being a Nation, I can feel all the different people in me in groups, and they all hate me. What's it like to be smaller, to not have as many people in you?" Kan was quiet.

"...You're more in-tune with them." the State finally answered, "I hurt so much when Bleeding Kansas happened, as did Mi. And Illi loved Lincoln; she knew he would be a great man and was devastated when he died. The Civil War gave a lot of scars to many States; they all looked terrible after battles, especially Tenn, Vir, Pen, Mar, and Geo. Geo still has burn marks on his back from Sherman's march to the sea."

"...Basically, since you're smaller, anything that happens in you hurts you on a much bigger scale." Kan nodded. Allan looked down at the small capital in his arms.

"And D.C.?" Kan looked at the baby as well.

"In 1814, during the War of 1812, England and Canada burned the capital to the ground, from what the older States have said." Allan tightened his grip on the babe. Arthur and Mattie actually hurt such a young, cute, and defenseless little boy? They are _so dead_ when Allan sees them. Kan saw the motion.

"Papa, don't be so mad!" Kan tried to calm him, "Dad already beat them up pretty good for it."

"Then I'll beat them up even more!" Allan snarled. D.C. whimpered in fear of Allan's voice and the 2P instantly softened.

"Hey, it's okay." he cuddled the young boy, "I didn't mean to be angry, it's okay." D.C. looked up at him, then suddenly started to wail. Allan quickly caught the scent of an 'accident' and rushed back upstairs. He had to do this quick or the boy would be crying all day. Kan stood at the foot of the stairs, ears covered from all the crying, and was finally able to uncover them when Geo came by.

"D.C. had another accident?" Kan nodded.

"How much of a handful are we to Papa?" Geo shrugged.

"I don't know. Dad was worn out all the time between taking care of the original 13, D.C., getting his political system set up after the Revolution, and the new additions of Ver, Tenn, and Kent."

"Do you think we'll wear Allan out too?"

"Maybe, but he seems tough. Plus, he took care of his own States. I'd say he actually loves having us around, even with all that we do." Geo looked down, "I think we need to be the ones to protect him."

"Because of those other countries?" Geo nodded.

"If he gets hurt, we'll protect him."

"Spread the word, then. I've got to stay here, since Allan wanted to show me something."

"Since I've got work to do, I can't go. Did he say where he's taking you?" Kan shook his head.

"He said it was a surprise."

"I wonder what it is." Geo waved a little as he walked off and Kan waved back as Allan finally came back down, a sleeping D.C. in his arms.

"Little guy tired himself out." Allan took one of Kan's hands gently, "Now c'mon. Let me show you something very special to me."

* * *

 ** _Fifth chapter finished! Anyway, here are some more notes:_**

 ** _Alfred's house is similar to Allan's, but with many more rooms and more beautiful furnishings._**

 ** _Michael Jones is Molossia and the son to Neve/Nev Jones, a.k.a. Nevada. Since she is the daughter to Alfred, Michael would be his grandson (my headcanon, that is)._**

 ** _Mer (pronounced 'mare'), a.k.a. Merrick Jones, is New Mexico._**

 ** _Col, a.k.a. Colter Jones, is Colorado._**

 ** _Geo, a.k.a. Geovanni Jones, is Georgia._**

 ** _Illi, a.k.a. Ilithyia Jones, is Illinois._**

 ** _Tenn, a.k.a. Tennyson Jones, is Tennessee._**

 ** _Kent, a.k.a. Kenton Jones, is Kentucky._**

 ** _Mar, a.k.a. Marcelle Jones, is Maryland._**

 ** _Pen, a.k.a. Penrose Jones, is Pennsylvania._**

 ** _Mi (pronounced 'me'), a.k.a. Miso Jones, is Missouri._**

 ** _Dinis is D.C.'s human name._**

 ** _My headcanon would be for_** ** _D.C. to age about one year every 2 decades. Another would be that,_** ** _since the States don't have as much land as the Nations do, they're more in-tune with their people; same with Micronations. And since Michael is one of the few to know the States and D.C. and is actually directly related to a State, that's why Alfred isn't trying to hurt him in anger._**

 ** _Another headcanon of mine is that all the States have tried pranking someone before (even NY) and D.C., TN, and KY are the only ones to still do it, even when they're their usual age. And the idea that Alfred has a secret emergency money stash is all mine. Also, D.C. and Alfred would have supported Michael, along with his mother, because Alfred wants others to have freedom and D.C.'s a bit unusual himself (D.C. actually has it's own little area created from Maryland and Virginia, but isn't considered a State. Sort of like a micronation, in a way)._**

 ** _Two more headcanons: Everyone is related in some way, which I will explain more thoroughly in another story/To get a State, my thinking is that Alfred had married (or at least had sex) with a woman from the new State/capital. Because of his Nation-status, the child/children (twins, which would be the Dakotas and Carolinas) would be a State (or in D.C.'s case, a capital). It would also help make sense with Michael being Nevada's son and Alfred's grandson, which I have explained earlier._**

 ** _As for why Tenn, Vir, Geo, Pen, and Mar are mentioned specifically for the Civil War: Georgia was practically burned to the ground by William T. Sherman, who marched from Atlanta to Savannah and torched everything. A lot of battles happened in Virginia, Pen was the site of Gettysburg and Maryland had Antietam; Tennessee had Shiloh and several other battles as well._**

 ** _During the War of 1812 (which was the US vs. Canada and England), in 1814, D.C. was burned to the ground by England in retaliation for invading the town of York (present-day Toronto) in Ontario, Canada. They nearly caught Dolley Madison, the First Lady, and one of the famous Gilbert Stuart George Washington portraits in the fire. However, that night, the English were hurt right back by an accidental explosion of gunpowder and a violent thunderstorm. Alfred would have been furious at Mattie and Arthur for doing this to his capital who, as I have said, wouldn't have been 2 when D.C. was burned. Very bad idea, England and Canada._**

 ** _Now that I have all of that out of the way, READ & REVIEW!_**


	6. Chapter 6

Little Lights of Hope

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

Kan looked around at where Allan had taken him and D.C. They had bypassed the projects and were now out in the forest. They had also been walking for quite a while now.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see. Just a little longer..." Allan kept telling him that every time he asked. D.C. had also woken up a short time ago and was now looking at the woods with awe and wonder.

"Why don't you give me a hint?" A smile graced Allan's face.

"It's very special."

"That's not a hint."

"I want it to be a surprise. Just a few more minutes and we'll be there." D.C. cooed and reached up at the treetops.

"Yeah, they're pretty, aren't they? Not like the rest of this blood-stained world..." Allan's smile quickly dropped. Kan also looked around. When they had first come to the world, they noticed the sky was red, unlike the usual blue. And the trees were light gray, sometimes with shades of brown, and black leaves. It all felt ominous, in a way, but Allan was different.

Everything in the world gushed malice, except for Allan. He felt a little bad, but mostly, he made the States feel safe. He was like the only light in this world, as Kan had seen so far; the only light of hope in getting back to their father. And, in a way, he also acted quite a bit like Dad. He had just about as big an obsession of fruits and vegetables as Dad had with meat, especially hamburgers. And don't even _start_ with baseball... In a way, it was weird, yet comforting. And the mansion was similar to their old one, except it didn't have as many rooms and looked like it had never been lived in.

The States all felt sorry for Allan. He had lost his own kids to Oliver, his version of England; he may have gotten to take care of them for some time, but it had been a very long time since. And yet... he took care of them as well as their father did. He took care of them, spoiled them a little, but looked he wouldn't hesitate to punish them if they got into trouble. And he didn't play favorites, like Dad; he loved all of them equally, even though he seemed to be spending more time with Kan than anyone else.

"Well, we're almost there." Kan looked ahead, interrupted from his thoughts. In front of them was a cave, about a little taller than Allan, and the man was dragging him toward it. D.C. looked at it silently in awe and Kan frowned.

"Why are we going in here?"

"This is where my special place is." They walked forward until they were in pure darkness, where D.C. began to whimper as it got darker. Kan also gripped his Papa's hand tighter.

"Easy, boys, easy. Just a little more." Allan made a quiet whistle that echoed in the cave. It was soon answered back by a strange noise, one that sounded like a bird call combined with a whistle, and then he heard soft flapping sounds. There was a bird in this cave? Soon enough, the flapping was so close Kan could feel the wind made and D.C. was giggling. It was that that point they stopped walking.

"Fergie, mind lighting the place a little? I brought you some new friends." There was the noise from the bird again, probably in agreement, before things suddenly became bright. D.C. made a small yelp of surprise and cuddled into Allan's bomber jacket, whimpering again as Kan put up a hand to shield his eyes. When he could finally look again, his jaw dropped.

The entire room was lit by torches on the walls. Slightly above them, out of reach of the flames were stone bowls with corks covering holes in the bottom, one for each bowl. In the middle of the room-like area was a chair-like structure made of stone. It was a ruby-purple color and rose out of the ground, carved out where it only had a bottom, a back, and one arm. The ground was actually covered by some sort of mossy-grass with a few piles of ash; to the left, between two of the torches, rested a nest made of redwood and other fire-proof materials. What caught the State's eyes, though, was the bird perched on the arm of the stone chair.

It held itself proudly and was quite large, about as big as the nest, being at least 3 feet high. It had yellow feathers that slowly turned orange and then red as they grew farther away from its body. The tail feathers were extra long and looked as if they were made of gold, shining softly in the light of the fire. Its eyes were a bright orange with red and yellow specks and seemed to burn with an inner fire. It looked similar to Dad's beloved bald eagles, but more majestic. However, it did have the big beak and huge claws.

"Boys," Allan smiled even wider, showing his teeth as D.C. finally looked forward, his own eyes locked on the bird, "Meet Fergie the Phoenix." D.C. giggled in delight and clapped while Kan stared at the bird.

"...I thought they were-"

"Myths?" Allan let go of the State's hand to bring D.C. closer to Fergie, who looked at the baby closely. D.C. did the same, cooing a little bit. The bird seemed to smile and nuzzled D.C.'s hair making the capital squeal in happiness.

"Yeah."

"Fergie's no myth, Kan. Shortly after what happened to my States, I lost myself in the forest and walked into the cave. That's where I found Fergie. She could feel what I was feeling and wanted to help me, and I kept coming back. Eventually, I renovated the place a little bit, to where it looks like it is now." D.C. reached out and hand and began to stroke the phoenix's feathers gently. Even as a baby, he could be gentle. Fergie made a sound close to a purr and lowered her head so D.C. could stroke her there.

"And you wanted to show this to all the States?" Allan shrugged.

"I knew many of them would be too busy to come, and I really only wanted to do this a little at a time. If she gets spooked, Fergie will light herself on fire by accident. Trust me when I saw that never ends well." Allan sighed, "I always come here when I'm around. Not just to check on Fergie, but to reminisce." He pointed to the chair, where Kan looked more closely. Hidden with the colors of the stone was a red leather book with a title in gold.

"'My Little States'..." Kansas read softly.

"This isn't just my spot to get away from the world, to read and relax, but to remember." Allan gave Fergie a stroke, "To remember what life was like with my own States. Fergie reads with me, too. She can feel my pain and always tries to cheer me up when I come. It's just the way she is."

"Why is her name Fergie?" Allan shrugged again.

"I just came up with the name one day and she's never objected to it. She lives down here, as you can see her nest, but she does have to go out to eat sometimes. So, if you see an orange light at night, that's her."

"Are all myths and magic real?" Allan moved away, where Fergie took the air before landing on his shoulders. D.C. squealed in joy and played with one of her tail feathers.

"Some are, some aren't. Phoenixes are real, and everyone can see them. But everything else...You need to have a childish belief to see them. You lost that belief when Bleeding Kansas happened, you lost hope in the world. I did too, but Fergie gave it back. And now, I can see all sorts of magical creatures, usually around Ollie, Dracul, and Loki. Dracul is my version of Romania and Loki is my version of Norway. Sometimes, I can also see creatures around Viktor, too. He's my version of Russia and is a little magical, but not as much as the others." Kan took the book from the chair a looked through it. It was filled with paintings of the first 13. They looked similar in body-shape and size, but had different colors. They probably acted different, too. He gently put it back.

"Is it the same in our world?"

"Yep." Papa nodded, "No one really sees them anymore, though, because no one believes in them. No one believed in me when I broke away from Oliver. I didn't even believe in myself when my States were killed. And yet... I got right back on my feet and proved the world wrong, that I was strong. And that I would show no weakness." Allan clenched a fist, "No one has ever seen me cry, Kan, except for my States and you kids, with the exception of Oliver. I doubt he even saw me cry. No one else knows, and I want to keep it that way. If they seen me as weak, they would come after me to hurt me in the worst way possible." he unclenched the fist and laid the hand on Kansas' head, "And that's through you. Everyone hates me and would do anything to take my land, to hurt me, and they could do that if they got to you. But I won't let them. As I have said before, no one will hurt you as long as I live." It was quiet between the four for a while, until Fergie returned to her perch on the chair and plucked a feather from her chest, offering it to D.C. The boy's eyes widened and he slowly took the feather. Allan chuckled.

"Seems she really likes you." he said, "A phoenix almost never gives away a feather unless it's really special. I got one when I saw Fergie the first time. So, if she thinks you're special, she gives you a feather. And she's usually right." D.C. looked at the large bird in awe, quiet for once. Kan was also offered one, where he took it in the same manner.

"Why?" Fergie cawed softly and nuzzled his cheek with her beak. Kan stood still, not really sure what to make of it. Allan saw this and gently took the boy's wrist as Fergie pulled away.

"Watch this." Allan said as he made Kan's hand tilt the feather. When it caught the light just right, it shined brightly, like fire, and in a rainbow of colors.

"Wow..." Kan gasped.

"The feathers are also fire-proof, even when they leave her, so you don't have to worry about burning it. Mass will probably like it, I know how he likes his fire." Papa chuckled at the image, "Just don't get them wet. It takes a very long time to dry them if you do." Kan nodded and looked up at the bowls.

"And what are those for?"

"Do you see the cracks above them?" Kan squinted. Allan was right; above each bowl were cracks, unlike the rest of the cave, "When it rains, water comes in through those cracks and drips into the bowls. Sometimes, if there's enough, it spills over, but not often. Fergie usually gets her water from them and they're used to douse the torches."

"That's smart."

"Thanks." Allan nodded, "Anyway, I think it's about time to go." The bird made a soft caw of sadness.

"Don't worry, we'll come back." the 2P patted her head, "By the way, even though they aren't my kids, I'll be taking care of them, and they'll all come to see you, so expect to see me again soon. It was nice seeing you." Fergie gave the three a few more nuzzles before they left. Once they did, she released the water in the bowls, putting out the fires, before plugging the corks back. Once that was done, she lit a few of her feathers, allowing her to see, so she could go back to her nest and sleep.

* * *

"...She was nice."

"She's my friend."

"So, where do you keep your feather?"

"In a special case in a safe in my room." Kan nodded, walking along and holding Allan's hand. D.C. had once again fallen asleep, holding his feather gently but tightly. They were out of the cave and heading back to the mansion.

"Speaking of magic, do you think some of Dad's friends did this to us by accident?"

"Turn you into kids and erase some of your memories?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe. If so, I would put all my money on Arthur."

"Everyone knows that." Allan sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Maybe he should take some lessons from Ollie."

"Wouldn't that end very badly?" Papa shrugged.

"If it does, at least they'll be out of everyone's hair for a while." Everything was quiet.

"...I think I know what we could use those extra rooms for."

"Really now?" Kan nodded.

"We could make them into a meeting room for all of us. But, since it's between the States, the walls would have to be sound-proofed, along with the doors, ceiling, and floor." Allan nodded, knowing how loud meetings could get, "And it could also be a security room. Like a mini-bunker, in a way."

"I like your thinking." Allan smirked, "I'll get you everything you need if the others agree."

"I'm pretty sure they will." Kan yawned, making the man glance at him.

"Tired?"

"No..." Allan rolled his eyes and picked the boy up, now holding both boys in his arms.

"Go to sleep, Kan. You need the rest." The boy yawned again, his eyes closing.

"No I...don't..." Soon enough, the boy was sleeping with his brother as Allan trudged on. He smiled softly at them both before the vibrating of his phone caught his attention. He had gotten a new phone to call the nations with and all their numbers were in it, but it was his mobster phone that was vibrating. Putting his foot on a tree to help hold up Kansas, he quickly answered it.

"What?" he hissed, hating having to be taken away from the boys.

"Sir, your brother and caretakers have gotten into the country. We...can't find them." Allan ground his teeth.

"Find them and then do whatever you want with them, as long as they're sent out of the country. If they come _anywhere_ near this place, this will be on _your_ head." the man on the other side gulped.

"Right away, sir." Allan cut the call, switching phones. He decided to mess with his brother and caretakers a little, many it would even get them caught.

"Hello?" There was the growl from his brother. Seems it was a good thing he got a new phone, as the Canadian didn't know who was calling.

"Your brother. And before you saying anything, don't yell or cuss."

"Still with those kids, are you?"

"Not gonna say. Now, _leave the country or I'll make you_."

"And why should we?!"

"Quiet!" Allan hissed, "You've seen me mad, but not as mad as I can be. And you really don't want to make me madder. Also, if Ollie doesn't want to get mauled, I suggest he stay away. Francois, Viktor, Kuro, Klaus, Luci, Flavio, and Lutz, too. All the nations just keep out of my country! If you don't..." A creepy, slasher smile appeared on Allan's face, "I will have the enjoyment of torturing you in the most painful way possible and then kill you very slowly and painfully."

"...And what does the torture include?" he could hear his twin's voice quiver slightly. He was scaring _Matt_ , of all people. Time to turn it up a notch! He put on his most seducing voice and said slowly, "Neutering you and hanging you by your own intestines, maybe even by your neutered privates." Before Matt could saying anything else, he cut the call, smiling to himself. Even if they didn't get caught, he had loved messing with his brother. However, he would make good on that promise if the nations ever find the house. His other phone then began to vibrate, so he switched them again.

"Sir, we just caught them. Your brother was screaming in disgust, hate, and fear, I think. What did you say to set him off?"

"You don't want to know, Rich..."

* * *

Alfred looked down at his sleeping grandson. Michael was cute when he was asleep, but he never let anyone get close, do it was very rare for Alfred to see this. The nation had won after a long game of Poker and Michael had gone to his mother's room, sleeping in her bed; Alfred guessed he did this because it was comforting to him, no matter how many times the Molossian would deny it when asked later. He looked up as the door opened.

"Thanks for the directions." Alfred nodded.

"No prob." he looked back at Michael as Tadeas came over, "I just wanted to ask you something."

"Hit me."

"I want you to be my spy, along with the other micronations. Keep an eye on the Magic Trio and make sure they're doing what they need to be. If they aren't," Alfred gave a wicked smile, "I'll make sure they do." Seborga swallowed thickly, trying to keep quiet in fear of pissing Alfred off. He and the other micronations had heard what Alfred had done to the three and wished the punishment on no one. But if they didn't tell the nation... Michael may be the only one who could save them from Alfred.

"And if I or any of the others refuse?" Alfred slowly turned to him. A chill went down his spine at seeing that the nation never dropped the smile, nor did the malice in the face or the eyes.

"If you know what's best for you, you _won't_." Tadeas nodded quickly.

"And Mol?" Alfred's malice dropped, face softening.

"He's staying with me until this is resolved."

"Won't he argue?"

"I'll keep him distracted. Now, don't you have somewhere to be?" Tadeas quickly left. The others wouldn't like what he was going to tell them, but if they had any complaints, tell the overprotective, unstable nation giving the orders.

Once the micronation was gone, Alfred stroked his grandson's hair. It was a calming motion that he had done many times with his children and seemed to work on Michael, as the boy smiled in his sleep.

"No one's taking you from me." Alfred told the sleeping boy, "I'm not losing you like I lost my kids, Michael." He gave the micronation's forehead a gentle, fatherly kiss before leaving. Once the door was closed, he quickly headed to the shooting range in his house. He needed to get his anger out of his system before he choked someone, anger brought up again my one of the oldest micronations in the world.

 _Next time, Tadeas, you might not be so lucky..._ Alfred ripped open the shooting range door, darting inside. Thankfully, it was soundproof, so it wouldn't wake Molossia. But it was a good place for America to get rid of his anger. Shooting up targets made to look like the nations was a great past-time, and the States liked a it whole lot, so he never changed it. It also taught them to shoot people, or at least nations, if they were ever threatened by said person/country. First up, the Magic Trio, then the Italians, then his brother, then Arthur and his brothers...

* * *

 _ **...What have I done? Oh well, it's a story, so the other nations/micronations will be fine! Though, Alfred**_ **is** _ **getting a bit desperate... Anyway, only one note this time:**_

 _ **Since Alfred doesn't believe in magic, my headcanon is that Allan, being Alfred's opposite, would.**_

 _ **So, now that**_ **that's** _ **out of the way, READ & REVIEW!**_


	7. Chapter 7

Little Lights of Hope

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

"... _Suntem morți! Nu, decât mort mort_!" Lukas looked over at his friend. Arthur had finally woken up the night before while they had been given their clean bill of health (after four days in there), so they had gone to see if the nation remember the words he spoke. He did, barely, and Anghel and Lukas had gone to Arthur's to find the spell he had used. The Norwegian had been looking through the shelves while the Romanian continued to skim the list. That is, until he paled so much he looked like he was about to faint and began to talk Romanian in freaked-out/worried tones.

"What are you talking about?" Anghel took a deep breath, trying to steady himself and switched back to English.

"R-remember when Arthur enchanted that mirror and we learned of the 2Ps?" Norway let out an uncharacteristic squeak, eyes widening in fear.

"... _Å Gud hjelpe oss_." the normally quiet and stoic man whimpered.

Peter and Baldrik were spying on them, as Alfred requested. Seeing as Sealand was adopted by the Nordics and Kugelmugel had been getting along with Romania lately, they were the perfect candidates to spy. They gulped at the information.

"Alfred is going to kill them." Baldrik stated.

"No s***, Sherlock." Peter sighed, "It's either us or them, and they'll get beat up sooner or later." Baldrik turned to him.

"But Tadeas said that we should at least help the nations, if only a little."

"If Alfred catches us stalling for time, _we'll_ be the dead ones!" Peter shivered, "But I do agree with you, we need to do _something_!"

"What about Michael?" Peter looked at Baldrik, "Tadeas said that Alfred would make sure that Michael would stay with him, so what if Michael distracted him? At least until we can get our friends to a safe place!"

"You know as well as I do it won't work, but it can't hurt to try." Peter pulled out a phone, "Let's just hope Mol answers first."

* * *

Alfred was in the kitchen, making breakfast, so Michael decided to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

" _Gott sei Dank Sie beantwortet_!" Michael was confused a bit when he heard Baldrik talking.

"Look, Mol, are you in a place where you won't be overheard?" Peter asked. The boy looked behind him. Alfred was in the kitchen and humming loudly.

"Yeah, why?"

"We need you to distract Alfred." Baldrik pleaded, "He has us working as spies for him, and the Magic Trio-"

"-Anghel and Lukas, anyway. Jerkland is still in the hospital-" Peter added.

"-have just found out where they sent the kids." Baldrik's voice lowered to a shaking whisper, "The 2P World!" The Molossian paled.

"A-and what do you want _me_ to do?!"

"From what Tadeas told us, Alfred seems protective of you and looks like he won't hurt you." Peter said, "We need you to keep him distracted while we hide the Magic Trio in a futile attempt to save them from Alfred."

"He will find them anyway, but the best we can do is try to lengthen their lifespans!" Michael sweatdropped.

"You two are very optimistic for what you're saying, but I'll try." There were quiet cheers on the other end, "Even I don't want to see those three nearly killed again, especially since Arthur's still recovering. Think you can tell the other nations so they'll help you? After all, I've got my own job to do."

"SIR YES SIR!" He could practically see them saluting him.

"Mol? Are you on the phone?" Michael paled.

"Just get off your a**es and do this quick!" The boy ended the call and replaced the phone just as Alfred came in. The nation looked a bit sleepy, as he hadn't slept all night, having been at the shooting range the whole time.

"Who was that?" Alfred asked with a raised eyebrow, a spatula in one hand. He had been making pancakes when he heard Michael.

"Just the other micronations." he saw Alfred's eyes narrow slightly, but the man smiled.

"Well, breakfast is almost done. Want to come eat?" Michael was pretty sure he was being baited so Alfred could get to the phone. If he was to protect the others, he had to keep Alfred away from it at all costs.

"Nah, I'll wait! After all, Grandpa, eating isn't the same without you!" Alfred's smile turned into a grin, but his eyes were still narrowed.

"Alright, I'll be waitin' for ya!" Alfred returned to the kitchen and Michael gave a small sigh of relief. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to distract his grandfather if it went on like that, and that was _light_! Maybe he should hide the phone, just in case...

The spatula and pan handle squeaked in protest of his tight grip as Alfred went back to the pancakes.

 _They told him what they found out and they don't want me to know, so those guys won't get hurt._ Alfred flipped the pancake forcefully, the grin still on his face. The flapjack nearly hit the ceiling at the force, _Well then, it's about time Mol and I have a good old game of hide-and-seek. With the phone, that is. I just wonder what they found out that frightened them so much that they want Michael to distract me. If they hadn't noticed, I'm much smarter than I look._ It was at that point the micronation entered the kitchen with a satisfied grin on his face.

"You have any games you want to play today, gramps?" Alfred tossed him a plate, which Michael caught easily.

"Maybe. First, we eat."

"Eating contest?" Alfred gave him a worried glance.

"You sure? I don't want you getting sick..." There was genuine worry in his voice, which Mol waved off.

"I can take it. Lay it on me!" Alfred smirked at that. If there was one thing he really liked about his grandson, it was his stubborn, spunky attitude. It sort of reminded him of his own, but Alfred wasn't so standoffish.

"Alright, but you're asking for it!"

* * *

Allowing D.C. to sleep twice in one day was a mistake, and he knew that. So why did he let the boy sleep? Oh yeah, the kid was f***ing adorable. It was past sunrise and the other States were getting up for breakfast, but Allan hadn't slept. He had stayed up all night for D.C. and, finally, the babe was sleeping. Standing from the rocking chair, he gently laid D.C. in the crib beside the bed, covering him with a blanket and making sure he was warm before kissing the baby's forehead.

"'Night, Dinis. Or morning, technically." Allan then closed the curtains before slipping out of the room. After 8 the construction crew would arrive again, and with the progress they got yesterday, they should be finished by at least tomorrow, if not sooner. Many of the rooms, both upstairs and down, were nearly covered in everything the States wanted. Kan was also going to give his idea to the others today, as the boy hadn't woken up the entire time they had gone home, so Allan had to tuck him into bed. However, unlike him, D.C. stayed awake. At least the feathers were hidden in the safe. He didn't want the other States knowing about the feathers until they met Fergie and possibly got their own.

Allan yawned and looked at the doors as he passed them. All of them (except for the bathrooms) had the State's name and flag on it, and it was one of the first things they did when he gave them the 'go ahead'. He could hear the showers and tubs going, some of the States singing (Tex was horribly off-key, but Tenn was in perfect harmony), and only a few were waiting outside the doors. It helped that he had six, as they seemed to wake up at different times. He guessed it was mainly because of their time-zones, but they still looked cute with bedhead nonetheless.

"TEX! STOP SINGING OR I WILL MAKE YOU EAT BARS AND BARS OF SOAP!" yelled Cali, pounding on the bathroom door Texas was in. Cali was 7 with bright blue eyes (similar to Alfred's), tanned skin, short blonde hair, and beach clothing: A sandy-colored dress that went down to her knees that looked very loose-fitting, pink flip-flops, and blue sunglasses. Underneath the dress she always wore a yellow bikini. Despite not having any problems with Tex and being in a different time-zone, she looked like she wouldn't stand for the boy taking all the hot water.

"Yo, Cali!" he caught her attention, "Is the spring open yet?" She looked him over with a careful eye.

"It is, but we're planning to put the waterpark in today. Why?" Allan gave her a wink.

"Why don't you and the other girls who haven't bathed go down there to get your baths?" She didn't move and he was afraid she had rejected his offer until she suddenly nodded, a smile gracing her face.

"Great idea! I'll tell the others!" she then quickly went around and whispered to all the other girls waiting. They giggled and joined her, racing downstairs.

"Don't run or you'll fall!" Allan called after them.

"OKAY, PAPA!" They yelled back, and he sighed, leaning against the wall.

 _She's not so much of a ditz as her stereotype says she is. But still, they shouldn't run down the d*** stairs! They could get hurt!_ Allan thought as the door across from him was opened, Neb walking out in only a towel. The boy stopped for a second, looking up at him as Dak rushed to get in the bathroom before Jer did. The younger boy succeeded, if Jer's angry growl was anything to go by.

"You look like h**l."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"Cheer up. With your idea, this will go by a lot faster."

"You heard?" Neb rolled his eyes.

"Duh, who wouldn't? Anyway, D.C. keep you up?" Allan groaned.

"You have no idea."

"Take a cold shower and then meet us downstairs. Lou's the chef this time." Because of all their different tastes, each State was chef for a day with the others working under them; right now, it was Lou's turn.

Lou was a 9-year-old girl with medium-length gray-brown hair held back by a hairband, violet eyes (sort of like Matt's and Mattie's), tanned skin, and gypsy-like clothing: a dark red shawl over a black tank top, a green and blue checkered skirt that reached her feet, and white sandals. She was known for her parties and her spicy cooking through the States, and was one of the few who loved ghosts. Allan thought that Alfred must get spooked by the ghost-loving States sometimes. She had also been one of the early risers, so she was probably putting the other available States to work; he chuckled as he imagined her being a literal slave driver, then he saddened.

Slavery was a touchy topic for many of the States, and Lou had been a Slave State. He shouldn't think of things like that, especially not around the kids. Many of them were still raw from the Civil War, he didn't want to make things worse and possibly break their trust.

"Hey, what's got you so down now?" Allan shook his head, putting a smile on his face.

"Nothing. Go get dressed, Neb." The boy gave him an unbelieving look, but thankfully left him alone. He watched as the States came and went for a while, but then went back to check on D.C. The baby capital was still asleep, and Allan smiled. He ducked back out and made his way downstairs. The kitchen table was already set up and at the top of the table, where he usually sat, there was a bowl of freshly-prepared and -cut fruit. On top was a small note, wet from the juices.

 _'For our Papa, who stayed up all night keeping an eye on D.C.! Yes, we do know you stayed up, don't deny it. And thank you for everything. -The 50 States'_ Allan grinned. He had been smiling and grinning a lot lately, hadn't he? He turned it over and was surprised to see more scribbling on the back, _'P.S., The food is spicy. Don't rat us out to Lou, she did it! We're just here to warn you. Girl has an unhealthy love for spice... Also, may have been the first prank. PREPARE YOURSELF, AS WE HOLD NO MERCY. -NC and SC'_ Hesitantly, the 2P glanced at the food, almost tempted to laugh at the last part. It looked normal, and yet...

"I'm going to need some orange juice." he sighed, exasperated, as he pinched the bridge of his nose; he didn't want to take any chances. Milk would get rid of the spice, but he couldn't have any, since he was a vegan. But still, _spicy fruit_? Lou _really_ needed to reign in her obsession.

But he wondered, how did they know he stayed up? He and D.C. had been quiet all night, he was sure, and there were bathrooms between his room and Del's and Mich's rooms. The only way they could have heard, then, was when someone was in one of the bathrooms between the rooms. If he had to guess it was either one of the Carolina twins, Jer, or Hamp. It could have been Geo, Del, or Vir, too, but not likely; they weren't the types to gossip or be mischievous. Now the other four were a different story...

Allan sat down and took a bite of an apple slice. And promptly spit it back out. The girls were right, the food _was_ spicy. Very very much so.

"D*** it." he cursed in a whisper. He glanced up as he saw Kent coming in, a large carton of something tucked under one arm with a glass of orange juice in the other free hand.

"Hey. SC and NC said you would need this." he said, setting the glass down, "With Lou in the kitchen, I'm not surprised."

"What have you got there?" Allan sniffed the air as he pointed at the carton under Kent's arm. The boy looked a little disappointed.

"Fried chicken. I would offer some, but..." Allan waved it off.

"It's fine. Thanks for the juice, Kent." The boy nodded and put the carton in front of his chair before going back to the kitchen. Carefully, he put some juice into his mouth first before eating any fruit. Not really what he would want, but it was tolerable. Besides, the States had made it for him. There was _no way_ he was turning it down.

"Papa?" Allan glanced down, surprised. At his legs were Al and Haw, the youngest States. Al was gently tugging his pants' leg as well.

"Papa, after breakfast, could you take us out to play?" Haw asked.

"It's boring here, with all the construction!" Al added. The nation smiled and picked them up, putting one State on each leg.

"Sure. Where'd you like to go?"

"Beach/Mountains!" The two gave each other a small glare.

"I have a better idea. Why don't I take you out to get some toys?" Their faces brightened. They didn't really want any of the toys D.C. had, as they were too young for them, but getting their own toys?!

"YAY!" Allan smiled, wincing as they cheered loudly next to his ears. Of course, he would have to be careful, bringing them out in public, but it would all be perfect. He even knew the place they could go, too. There were rare places you could go and not be threatened, and the place he had in mind was one of them...

* * *

 _ **Yeah, the Magic Trio is dead once Alfred finds out. Sorry it's coming out so quick, but I couldn't help it! Anyway, here are translations and notes**_ ** _(and yes, I really did find these names on the internet. How, I have no idea. As for the translations, blame Google Translate)_** _ **:**_

 **Suntem morți! Nu, decât mort mort -** **WE ARE DEAD! No, deader than dead (Romanian)**

 **Å Gud hjelpe oss - Oh God help us (Norwegian)**

 **Gott sei Dank Sie beantwortet - Thank God you answered (German)**

 _ **Al, a.k.a. Alder Jones, is Alaska.**_

 _ **Haw (pronounced 'how'), a.k.a. Haliaka Jones, is Hawaii.**_

 _ **Neb, a.k.a. Nedeljiko Jones, is Nebraska.**_

 _ **Lou, a.k.a. Loulabelle Jones, is Louisiana.**_

 _ **Jer, a.k.a. Jermel Jones, is New Jersey.**_

 _ **Hamp, a.k.a. Hampton Jones, is New Hampshire.**_

 _ **Del, a.k.a Delmas Jones, is Delaware.**_

 ** _Mass, a.k.a. Massimo Jones, is Massachusetts._**

 ** _Dak, a.k.a. Dakari Jones, is North Dakota._**

 ** _Cali, a.k.a. Calico Jones, in California._**

 ** _Mich (pronounced 'Mitch'), a.k.a. Michalis Jones, is Michigan._**

 _ **The reason why Kent had fried chicken is obvious. KFC, anyone?**_

 _ **Tadeas is Seborga and Baldrik is Kugelmugel, who I will sometimes call KM for short. With such a name, wouldn't you?**_

 _ **Milk, unlike water, can actually put out the spiciness of something. Water just moves the spice around, it doesn't douse it. Also, originally, I had Allan drinking milk until I realized that he couldn't have any, sine he's a vegan. Sorry about that.**_

 _ **And hey, when you know you're going to die, best to die optimistic, right? At least, that's what Peter and Baldrik are trying to convince themselves into thinking.**_

 _ **Now, READ & REVIEW!**_


	8. Chapter 8

Little Lights of Hope

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

The Underground Black Market Mall was busy, as usual. The people here were either as shady as a shadow or as straight as an arrow, but this was a safe place, one of the few left in the world. Fights weren't tolerated here and if there _was_ a fight, it was quickly eliminated by security. However, threats could be tossed, and as soon as you were out of the building, you were in danger again.

Allan strolled through the marketplace section, Al and Haw in his arms, eyes wide as they looked around. After telling some of the States where they were going and making sure one of them was in charge of D.C., the three left, Allan taking them here. The trip was short, as the mall wasn't far from the house.

"So, where would you like to go first?" Allan asked.

"I want a moose toy!"

"Dolphin for me!" The 2P smiled and changed course, walking to the toy section of the mall. The place had everything, even a food court and a playground. In such a harsh world, it was very rare to see a nice place.

"Go wild." he said, putting them down, "But I'll be following you, so don't get separated." They darted forward, looking all around them for toys as Allan followed closely behind.

* * *

"I can't believe that b*****d!" Kuro growled as he and the rest of the Axis walked through the mall, "Using his mob to keep us out of the country!"

"Well, I can!" Flavio said, "So what if he's protecting those kids? I'm sure he has a good reason!"

"For food?" Flavio smacked his brother in the back of the head.

"Of course not!"

"Hey, isn't that Allan over there?" Lutz said, pointing. They looked and saw Allan in the toy section of the mall, following two 5-year-olds.

"Those are two of the kids he was protecting!" Luci said, "What the h**l are they doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? He wants to let them get some toys!" Flavio said, "Why can't you just leave it be?"

"Because I'm not getting beaten by an oversized baseball player again. Come on!" Luciano lead the way into the store and made a beeline for Allan.

* * *

Allan could feel the angry glare on his back, so he grabbed Al and Haw close. They were holding plushies of the animals they wanted.

"Stay behind me." he hissed before letting them go, standing and turning. Haw and Al hid behind his legs, hugging the toys close. The man's eyes narrowed when he saw the Axis approaching.

"What are you all doing here?" Allan growled. He had to leave his bat in the truck, as weapons also weren't allowed in the mall.

"Trying to get away from your mob, what else?" Luci snarled, "Now what's the story with those kids?" He pointed at Al and Haw.

"None of your business." Allan snapped, "And if you know what's good for you, you'll leave us alone." Haw suddenly squeaked and started to shake, clutching Allan's leg as hard as she could (which was about almost as strong as her Dad could be. Luckily Allan was his 2P, otherwise his leg would have broke). Al tried calming her while giving a glare to Kuro.

"Whoa, what the h**l did I do?" the Japanese 2P held his hands up in defense of the two glares he was getting.

"LEAVE." Allan said quietly, and yet it sounded deadlier than any of his shouts or even his bat.

"Luci, maybe we should..." Flavio laid an uneasy hand on his brother's arm. Luciano shook him off.

"Not until I get some answers!" he turned back to face Allan and flinched under the heavy-duty glare.

"I. SAID. **LEAVE.** " A black aura was starting to appear around the American and his eyes were already on fire with rage.

"Luci, if we don't, we're _dead_ , policy or no policy." Lutz said, tugging on Luci's arm. Finally, the Italian relented.

"Okay, but don't think you're out of the woods yet!" Kuro and Flavio were already scrambling away. As soon as they were gone, Allan's aura left and he crouched down to meet the States eye-to-eye.

"S-s-scary..." Haw whimpered, and Allan took her into his arms, rubbing her back in reassurance.

"Don't worry, none of them will get you." he soothed, then gave a glance to Al.

"Pearl Harbor, attack by Japan." was all he said. Allan nodded, eyes darkening.

"Let me pay for the toys and then we'll leave." Al nodded and followed as Allan carried Haw.

* * *

"My State-senses are tingling."

"You don't _have_ State-senses."

"Well, something's wrong, I can feel it." The Dakota brothers were looking after D.C., who had recently woken up. SD (Da, short for Darian) was playing with the capital using stuffed animals while ND (Dak, short for Dakari) paced.

"What do you think is wrong, then?" Da asked, glancing up at his twin.

"How should I know? I just get the feeling something's not right with some of the States."

"You think Al and Haw might be in danger?" Dak snapped his fingers, stopping his pacing.

"That's it, right on the mark! But isn't Papa protecting them?"

"Yeah, but even he can't protect everyone all the time."

"But how are we supposed to go after them? They left with the truck and there's nothing we can ride in."

"Not necessarily." Da said mysteriously. Dak gave his brother a deadpan look.

"Indiana has been building a strange vehicle, hasn't she?"

"Along with Ohio and Wisconsin."

"Think they'll let us use the car?"

"No, but we can hijack it." They both looked to the baby capital.

"Who's going to keep an eye on D.C., then?"

"How about the Carolinas?"

"You know they'll kill us if they find out what we're going to do."

"South probably will, but not North. She's too nice. Besides, the most angry States would be Vir and Del."

"True." Da nodded. Dak gained a mischievous smirk.

"Well then, Operation Save Papa, Al, and Haw is a go!"

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to end badly for us?" Da moaned.

"C'mon, brother of mine!" Dak dragged him by the arm out of the room, Da still holding D.C.

* * *

"Papa, who were those evil men?" Allan looked down at the children in his arms. They had just left the mall and Haw had finally calmed down, thankfully. It was Al who asked.

"Did your Dad ever tell you about the Axis?"

"Yeah, and we know about you-know-who, but what about the other three?"

"They're the rest of the Axis. Luci is the one with the brown hair that attacked us before," The States shared a shiver at that, "Lutz is the tallest one and his guard dog, and the one with the tinted sunglasses was Flavio, Luci's brother. He's actually pretty nice."

"C-could we meet him sometime?" Haw asked, hugging her dolphin plush close.

"Maybe. I'll see about it. Now, let's go back before-"

"Uh oh." Al and Haw suddenly covered their ears, confusing Allan, until he head two shouts.

"NORTH, STOP THIS CRAZY THING!"

"NO WAY, SOUTH!" If he had a free hand, Allan would have facepalmed. As it was, his right eye twitched.

"Please tell me that's not the Dakota Twins."

"They are." the youngest states answered. Allan sighed angrily.

"Then hang on, because I think we might have to chase after those two." By this time, they could see the makeshift ATV crest the hill and rocket down towards them.

"More like dodge!" Haw yelped and Allan jumped to the side, barely being missed by the ATV.

"BOYS!" Allan began to chase after the ATV, "WHAT THE H**L ARE YOU DOING HERE IN INDI'S ATV?!"

"IT HAS NO BREAKS!" Da gave a terrified scream.

"YAHOO!" Dak, however, was having the time of his life.

* * *

From afar, the 4/5ths of the Axis were watching.

"Well, at least we know who to call if Allan gets too rowdy. He'll be too busy chasing after those two." Kuro said.

"Did he just shout it has no breaks?" Flavio asked, worried.

"I hope they crash!" Luci cheered. Flavio smacked his head.

"Wait..." Lutz paled, "Now they're coming towards _us_!"

"Run!"

"Don't have to tell us twice!" The Axis began to run for their lives.

* * *

"TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL AND YOU SHOULD SLOW DOWN!"

"OKAY!" Da struggled to get Dak's foot off the pedal. Even after he succeeded, it took a while for the car to slow down. By that time, Allan was on his hands and knees, panting, with the youngest States following behind.

"THEY...ARE...DEAD." he wheezed angrily. Al and Haw weren't surprised, as they heard their Dad say the same thing before, especially when dealing with D.C., Tenn, and Kent.

"Hey, Papa!" Dak was blissfully unaware of Allan's anger as he approached, Da kissing the ground like it was his lifeline.

"Not moving ground... Oh sweet sweet ground!"

"WHAT THE F*CK WERE YOU TWO THINKING?!" the brothers flinched at Allan's explosion, "YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT OR WORSE!"

"...We were worried about you." Dak said quietly, barely above a whisper.

"We wanted to make sure you were okay." Da, after standing, used his foot to play with the grass. Both of them were avoiding Allan's eyes by looking down. It was silent for a few moments before Allan gave a sigh.

"Boys, I'm sorry." he knelt down to the two, "I know I shouldn't have shouted at you, but you really scared me. I thought you could get hurt with how reckless you were being."

"We're sorry." they chorused. Allan tussled their hair affectionately.

"It's fine, just as long as you don't do it again. By the way, don't say anything I did, okay? I don't want you kids start cursing. And speaking of cursing, I need to wash Neb's mouth out with soap..." The states giggled at that thought of Allan's punishment to Neb (short for Nebraska, real name Nedeljiko), "Just let me load the ATV into the truck and then we'll go home. Maybe later today we can go out again."

"Out where?" Al asked.

"You'll see, little buddy."

* * *

 _ **Look, before you bash me on the names, they are**_ **real** _ **and I wanted to try and get as close to their state names as possible. Also, the reason it took so long for this short chapter to come us was because I had most of it written, but no ending. Also, the Black Market Mall is my creation.**_

 _ **And you guys remember, earlier in the story, where Allan said his house was near the sea? It is, just a small distance from it. It's going to appear soon.**_

 _ **Anyway, please read & review!**_


	9. AN

**ATTENTION, REVIEWERS, GUESTS, READERS, FAVORITERS, AND FOLLOWERS! THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!**

 **Well, not really, but I needed to get your attention somehow, right? Anyway, I have a challenge for all of you! A while back, I found a picture on DeviantArt by 1sthi1357 made of Dino TK, from my story, _Of Dinos and Digimon_. Last night, when I was looking at it again, it gave me an idea!**

 **I am not a drawing person. I trace, but don't draw. Which is why I want to ask you guys if you could draw for me! Well, not for me, but from my stories.**

 **This is what I mean: you draw things from my stories and post them on DeviantArt, I'll mention them in the story they're from. There is no cost or prize, except maybe a Llama and my eternal happiness!**

 **Here are the rules:**

 **1\. You _MUST_ include my name in the description so I can find it and the name of the story it's from.**

 **2\. It doesn't have to be a good picture, it can be whatever. I want to see what you all can come up with!**

 **3\. You can make multiple works of art, not just one piece.**

 **4\. They can either be character designs, scenes (or comics) from the story, or title pictures.**

 **Now that that's done with, I hope you guys take on the challenge! See you!**


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